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THE 


NOliTHWEST  COAST; 


OR, 


THREE  YEARS'  KESIDEXCE  IN  WASHINGTON 

TElUUTOitV. 

By    J  A  :M  E  S    a.    HWA  N. 


■..i» 


ti^::;i  > 


WITH     SCMiBROt'S     1  L  L  V  S  TR  AT  ION  8. 


N  K  W     Y  O  11  K  : 

H  A  «  P  K  B    &    B  U  O  T  H  E  H  «,    PI  B  L  I  a  H  K  U  3, 

1857. 


THE 


NORTHWEST  COAST; 


OB, 


THREE  YEARS'  RESIDENCE  IN  WASHINGTON 

TERRITORY. 

By    JAMES    G.    SWAN. 


WITH  NUMBBOUS  ILLUS  TBATION  8. 


NEW    YORK: 

HABPER    &    BROTHERS,    PUBLISHERS, 
FBAMKLIN    SQTJABB. 

1857. 


I  < 


F 

ill 


■) 


Entered,  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  one  thousand 
eight  hundred  and  fifty-seven,  by 

Harper  &  Brothers, 

in  the  Clerk's  Office  of  the  District  Court  of  the  Southern  District 

of  New  York. 


TO 


THE  HON.  J.  PATTON  ANDERSON, 

THB    FIRST    UNITED    STATES    MARSHAL    AND    SECOND    DELEGATE    TO 

CONGRESS  FROU 

WASHINGTON  TERRITORY, 

Qi\)\a  iXlork  is  Hespectfttlls  Snsmbeb 

BYHISFRIEND, 

JAMES  G.  SWAN. 


# 


INTRODUCTION. 


The  intention  of  this  volume  is  to  give  a  general  and 
concise  account  of  tliat  portion  of  the  Northwest  Coast 
lying  between  the  Straits  of  Fuca  and  the  Columbia 
River — a  region  which  has  never  attracted  the  explorers 
and  navigators  of  the  Northwest,  since  the  times  of 
Meares  and  Vancouver,  sufficiently  for  them  to  give  it 
more  than  a  passing  remark. 

The  fine  bay  nonh  of  the  Columbia  (Shoal-water  Bay), 
which  was  discovered  and  named  by  Meares  in  1789, 
and  surveyed  by  Lieutenant  Alden,  of  the  United  States 
Coast  Survey,  in  1852,  was  actually  passed  through  by 
the  boats  of  Wilkes's  Exploring  Expedition,  who  merely 
mentions  the  fact,  without  considering  the  bay  of  suffi- 
cient importance  either  to  give  it  a  passing  notice  or 
even  place  it  on  his  chart. 

At  the  present  time,  when  every  thing  relating  to  the 
Northwest  frontier  is  looked  upon  with  interest,  and  par- 
ticularly the  country  around  the  Columbia  River,  Gray's 
Harbor,  and  Puget  Sound,  it  was  thought  that  some  later 
information  than  can  be  found  in  the  works  of  Ross  Cox, 
Lewis  and  Clarke,  and  Irving,  would  be  acceptable,  both 
to  those  persons  desirous  of  emigration  to  the  region  west 
of  the  Rocky  Mountains,  as  well  as  those  who  already 
have  friends  in  the  Territory. 


INTllODUCTION. 


I 


!  I 


To  make  tlio  work  of  interest  to  the  general  reader,  I 
have  been  obliged,  while  endeavoring  to  bring  forward 
each  subject  worthy  of  interest,  to  condense  and  confine 
myself  within  certain  limits,  so  as  not  to  elaborate  too 
much  any  one  topic. 

I  have,  so  far  as  possible,  only  related  such  circum- 
stances as  have  come  under  my  immediate  observation ; 
and,  whenever  I  have  been  obliged  to  deviate  from  this 
rule,  I  have  invariably  given  credit  to  the  proper  source, 
and  have  been  particularly  careful  to  endeavor  to  be  ac- 
curate as  to  date  in  matters  of  historical  information,  nar- 
rating all  facts,  whether  as  regards  my  own  personal  ad- 
ventures, or  tales  of  the  Indians,  or  anecdotes  of  the  set- 
tlers, in  a  simple  manner,  and  in  the  order  of  their  oc- 
currence ;  consequently,  most  of  the  narrative  will  be 
confined  to  the  immediate  Pacific  coast,  and  to  descrip- 
tions of  Shoal-water  Bay  during  my  residence  of  three 
years. 

In  all  matters  relating  to  the  Indians,  I  only  give  an 
account  of  those  /  have  lived  with^  the  Chenooks,  Che- 
halis,  and  one  or  two  tribes  north  of  Gray's  Harbor.  * 

Having  lost  a  valuable  collection  of  notes,  made  dur- 
ing my  residence  among  the  Coast  tribes,  I  am  unable  to 
give  the  interesting  legends  and  mythological  tales  I 
should  have  done,  and  which  might  have  been  of  interest 
to  many  persons ;  still,  enough  has  been  written  to  give 
a  general  idea  of  facts  concerning  the  Indians  of  the  Bay 
which  have  not  before  been  mentioned,  with  vocabularies 
of  their  language  and  specimens  of  their  music,       -  ■  .  ^ 

I  take  this  opportunity  to  acknowledge  my  obliga- 
tions to  the  Hon.  J.  Patton  Anderson,  Delegate  to  Con- 
gress from  Washington  Territory;  Henry R.  Schoolcraft, 
LL.D.,  of  Washington  City ;  J.  Carson  Brevoort,  Esq., 


INTRODUCTION. 


Vll 


and  Professor  W.  Gibbs,  of  New  York ;  John  M*Mullen, 
Esq.,  Librarian  of  New  York  Society  Library ;  Dr.  J.  G. 
Cogswell,  Librarian  of  the  Astor  Library,  and  Mr.  Poole, 
Librarian  of  the  Boston  Athenaeum ;  also,  Hon.  William 
Sturgis,  and  William  Tufts,  Esq.,  of  Boston,  for  valuable 
information,  and  assistance  in  enabling  me  to  refer  to 
such  works  of  history,  voyages,  or  statistics  as  were  nec- 
essary while  writing. 

A2 


CONTENTS. 


t 


CHAPTER  I. 

Voyage  from  San  Francisco  to  Shoal-water  Bay. — Brig  Oriental. — 
Passengers  on  board  the  Brig. — Ship  a  heavy  Sea. — Mouth  of  the 
Columbia. — Quantities  of  Drift-wood. — Cross  the  Bar  at  Shoal-water 
Bay. — Heavy  Sea Page  17 

CHAPTER  n. 

Discovery  of  Shoal-water  Bay  by  Meares  in  1788. — His  Description  of 
it. — Indians  come  out  of  the  Bay  in  a  Canoe. — Thick  Fog. — Meares's 
Long-boat  Expedition  to  the  Bay. — Attack  by  Indians. — Vancou- 
ver's Description. — Alden's  Survey. — ^First  Settlers. — Description  of 
Shoal-water  Bay 20 

CHAPTER  m. 

Russell's  House. — Description  of  Toke  and  Suis. — ^Russell  tells  the  In- 
dians I  am  a  Doctor. — Style  of  Medicine. — Salmon  Fishing  on  the 
Palux. — Old  Cartumhays. — Our  Reception  at  his  Lodge. — Camp  on 
the  Palux. — Duck  Shooting. — Great  Quantities  of  Salmon. — Falls  of 
the  Palux. — The  Devil's  Walking-stick. — Singular  Superstition  of 
the  Indians 83 

CHAPTER  IV. 

Wreck  of  the  Willemantic. — Joe  the  Steward  and  his  curry  Stews. — 
Climate  of  the  Pacific. — Causes  of  the  Mildness  of  Temperature. — 
Quantities  of  Rain. — Early  Spring. — Method  of  learning  the  Indian 
Language. — Captain  Purrington  clearing  Land. — Immense  Trees. — 
Indians'  Small-pox. — Indians  die. — Russell  sick. — Tomhays  sick. — 
Queaquim  dies. — Solemn  Scene 43 

CHAPTER  V. 

Arrival  of  Indians  from  the  North.— Description  of  the  Oysters  and 
Oyster-fishers  of  Shoal-water  Bay. — Hospitality  of  early  Settlers. — 
Joel  L.  Brown. — Captain  Weldon. — ^Winter  in  Oregon 69 

CHAPTER  VI. 

Stony  Point. — ^Visit  of  Walter  and  myself  to  the  Memelose  Titticums,  or 
Dead  People.-~Basaltic  Boulders. — Indian  Tradition  respecting  them. 


I 


i 


if' 


'fe  I 


i 


X  CONTENTS. 

—Legend  of  the  Doctor  and  his  Brother.— The  Giants  build  a  greet 
Fire  to  heat  Stones.— They  boil  out  the  Bay.— The  Doctor  finds  his 
Brother  in  a  Fish's  Belly.— Bear-hunt  on  Stony  Point.— Bartlett  kills 
the  Bear.— Method  of  burying  the  Dead.— We  find  a  Mummy.— Rus- 
sell sends  the  Mummy  to  San  Francisco.— Opinions  of  scientific  Per- 
sons respecting  the  Mummy. — An  instance  of  another  Body  being 
preserved. — I  get  capsized  at  Stony  Point. — Take  a  Claim  on  the 
Querquelin  River. — Description  of  the  Claim  and  our  mode  of  Liv- 
ing.— Method  of  Canoe-making. — Seal-catching. — Method  of  catch- 
ing Fish.— Indian  Food. — Description  of  the  Roots  and  Berries.- Sea 
Otter.— River  Otter.— Beaver.— Furs Page  67 

CHAPTER  Vn. 

Visit  to  the  Columbia  River.— Our  Troubles  while  crossing  the  Port- 
age.— Description  of  the  Beach  around  Baker's  Bay  to  Chenook. — 
Scarborough's  Hill.— Captain  Scarborough. — The  Priest's  House  at 
Chenook. — Bill  M'Carty  or  Brandywine. — Salmon-fishing  at  Che- 
nook.— Splendid  View  of  Mount  Saint  Helen's. — Description  of  the 
Salmon  and  of  the  Fishery. — Indian  Customs  on  the  first  Appear- 
ance of  Salmon. — ^The  present  Remnant  of  the  Chenook  Tribe. — 
Description  of  Chenook  Village. — Its  favorable  Location. — Washing- 
ton Hall,  Esq.,  the  Postmaster. — Indian  Lodges. — A  Description  of 
the  method  of  building  them. — Our  Return  home,  and  the  funny 
Scenes  we  passed  through. — Old  Champ  and  his  Fish 97 

CHAPTER  VIII. 

The  Country  of  the  Columbia. — Discovery  of  the  Columbia. — Gray's 
Harbor. — The  Coast  north  of  the  Columbia. — Fuca  Strait. — Pugct 
Sound. — Geographical  Errors  in  naming  Places. — Excellent  Harbors. 
— Mount  Olympus. — Separation  of  Washington  from  Oregon, — The 
Columbia  and  its  Tributaries. — The  Dalles. — Wuppatoo  Island. — 
Heceta's  Voyage. — Attack  by  Savages. — Point  Grenville  and  De- 
struction Island. — River  St.  Roc. — ^Vancouver. — Sloop  Washington 
and  Ship  Columbia. — Captain  Gray. — Lieutenant  Broughton  and  the 
Brig  Chatham. — Account  of  the  Outfit  of  the  Ship  Columbia  in  1 787. 
— Captain  John  Kendrick. — Gray  discovers  the  Columbia. — Building 
of  th(  I  Adventure  at  Clyoquot 117 

CHAPTER  IX. 

The  Oystermen  celebrate  the  4th  of  July. — ^A  Speech  and  a  great  Bon- 
fire.— Arrival  of  Emigrants. — Colonel  H.  K.  Stevens. — Fishing-party 
on  the  Nasal  River. — We  go  up  the  River  to  an  Indian  Camp. — Meth- 
od of  catching  Salmon. — We  catch  rotten  Logs. — The  Colonel  falls 
overboard.  —  A  Chase  after  a  Salmon.  —  Indian  Style  of  catching 
Trout. — ^Their  Medicine  to  allure  Fish. — Immense  Quantities  of  Sal- 
mon in  Shoal-water  Bay. — ^Wreck  of  Brig  Palos. — ^Description  of  my 


CONTENTS. 


Zl 


House.— High  Tides.— Quantities  of  Wild-fowl.— A  Gale  of  Wind. 
— Heavy  Rain. — The  Gale  increases,  and  blows  down  our  Chimney. 
—Damage  done  by  the  Storm.— Narrow  Escape  from  being  killed  by 
a  falling  Precipice. — Arrival  of  Indians. — Pepper  Coffee. — Ludicrous 
Plight  of  the  Natives.— Their  Superstition.— They  try  to  shoot  a 
Ghost. — They  are  scared  by  a  Pumpkin  Lantern. — Poisoning  Crows. 
— Method  of  preserving  Cabbages  from  the  Indians Page  133 


CHAPTER  X. 

Old  Suis  relates  about  the  Indians  of  the  Bay. — A  Description  of  the 
Coast  Indians. — Writers  apt  to  confuse  the  Reader  in  Accounts  of 
Indians. — General  Appearance. — Dress  of  Women. — Dress  of  Men. 
— Smoking. — Fondness  for  Ardent  Spirits. — ^Whom  they  received  the 
first  from. — Gambling. — A  Description  of  gambling  Games. — Orna- 
ments.— Description  of  the  Howqua  or  Wampum. — Method  of  ob- 
taining the  Shells. — Evidences  of  Wealth. — Great  Weight  of  Ear  Or- 
naments.— Position  of  Females  among  the  Coast  Tribes. — Duties  of 
Women.  —  Various  Manufactures.  —  Lodge  Furniture.  —  Ancient 
Method  of  Cooking.  —  Bread-making.  —  Peter's  Method  of  making 
Bread. — Time  of  Eating. —  Slaves. — Fondness  of  Indians  for  their 
Children. — Method  of  flattening  the  Head. — Flat  Head  a  mark  of 
Aristocracy. — Reception  of  Strangers. — Reception  of  Friends.— Sin- 
gular Custom. — Great  Newsmongers. — Poly;^amy. — Customs  toward 
young  Girls. — Singular  Superstition. — Fasts. — Religion. — Heathen- 
ism   151 

CHAPTER  XI. 

Doctors,  or  Medicine-men. — Simples  used  as  Medicine. — Polypodium. 
— ^Wild-cat  Hair. — An  excellent  Salve. — Disinclination  of  Indians  to 
impart  Information  in  regard  to  their  Medicines. — Necromancy  of 
the  Doctors. — Sickness  of  Suis. — Sa  ^odlye,  the  Doctor,  and  his  Mag- 
ic.—  Old  John,  the  Doctor,  and  his  Method. —  John  removes  the 
Devil  and  Suis  recovers. — Old  Sal-tsi-mar's  Sickness  and  Death. — 
Description  of  tlie  Burial. — Funeral  Ceremonies. — Death  Songs.— 
Change  of  Names  on  the  Death  of  a  Friend. — Meaning  of  Indian 
Names. — Superstitions  and  Ceremonies. — Effects  of  Christianity. — 
Missionaries.— The  Indian  Idea  cf  the  Christian  Religion...,  ...  176 

CHAPTER  XII. 

Amusements. — Games. — Children's  Amusements..— Imitate  the  Priest. 
— Readily  learn  Needle-work. — Fond  of  Singing. — Songs. — History 
■'  of  the  Chcnooks  and  Chchalis. — Difficulty  of  understanding  the  Le- 
gends.— Creation  of  Man. — Origin  of  Coast  Tribes. — Evidences  of 
Emigration. — Tradition  of  a  Junk  wrecked  at  Clatsop  Beach. — Bees- 
wax found  on  the  Beach. — Remarks  on  the  various  Theories  respect- 


\L: 


W 


m 


%H\ 


Xll 


CONTENTS. 


ing  the  Origin  of  the  Indians. — Lewis  and  Clarke's  Names  of  Tribes. 
— The  correct  Names  of  the  Tribes. — ^Former  Tribes  of  Shoal-water 
Bay. — Evidences  of  great  Mortality  among  the  Coast  Tribes. — The 
Feeling  of  the  Indians  respecting  the  Dead. — Meares's  Account  of 
the  Nootkans  being  Cannibals. — Vancouver  doubts  the  Truth  of 
Meares.  —  Indian  Dread  of  Skulls. — Anecdote  respecting  their 
Fears Page  197 

CHAPTER  Xin. 

Trip  to  San  Francisco. — Captain  Smith  and  his  Goggles. — ^We  get  near- 
ly wrecked  by  reason  of  the  Fog  on  Captain  Smith's  "  Specks." — Ar- 
rive safe  at  last. — Return  to  the  Columbia  in  Steamer  Peytona. — 
Port  Orfcrd. — Captain  Tichenor. — Cedar  of  Port  Orford. — Mouth  of 
the  Columbia. — Not  so  terrible  as  generally  represented. — Arrival  at 
Astoria. — History  of  Astoria. — Captain  Smith,  of  the  Ship  Albatross. 
— John  Jacob  Astor. — Ship  Tonquin,  Captain  Thome. — Ship  Beaver, 
Captain  Sowles. — Ross  Cox's  Description  of  Astoria. — Loss  of  the 
Tonquin. — Ship  Lark. — Astoria  sold  to  the  Northwest  Company. — 
The  Raccoon  Sloop-of-war. — Brig  Peddler. — Ship  Isaac  Todd  and  her 
Passengers. — First  white  Woman. — Death  of  Mr.  M'Tavish. — Resto- 
ration of  Astoria  to  the  Americans. — H.  B.  M.  Frigate  Blossom  sa- 
lutes the  Flag. — Various  Expeditions,  &c. — First  Emigration. — Jes- 
uits.— ^Present  Appearance  of  Astoria. — Military  Road,  &c 215 

CHAPTER  XIV. 

Cross  the  Columbia  to  Chenook. — Meet  Fiddler  Smith. — We  start  for 
Shoal-water  Bay  with  Captain  Johnson. — Johnson  falls  overboard. 
— John  Edmands. — Ox-team  Express. — Get  stuck  in  the  Swamp. — 
Captain  Nichols  and  his  Whale-boat. — The  Fiddler  and  myself  take 
Passage. — Safe  Arrival. — -Another  Start  for  Astoria. — Detention  by 
Storm. — General  Adair,  of  Astoria. — Canoe  Adventure  with  Peter. — 
Sturgeon-iishing.  —  Salleel  and  his  Sturgeons'  Heads.  -  -  Johnson's 
Lake. — A  hard  Walk. — Toke  in  the  Mud. — Brook  Navigation. — In- 
dian Method  of  making  Fire. — Rate  of  Speed  hbme. — Strawberry 
Expedition 239 

CHAPTER  XV. 

Visit  to  the  Queniult  Indians  with  Winant  and  Roberts. — Cross  the  Bay 
and  camp  with  the  Indians.— Carcowan  and  Tleyuk. — ^Trouble  on 
starting. — Arrival  at  Grey's  Harbor. — Armstrong's  Point. — Difficulty 
with  Caslahhan. — Sam  fires  at  Caslahhan. — A  Settlement. — Swarms 
of  Fleas. — Our  Camp. — We  proceed  up  the  Beach. — Adventure  with 
a  Bear. — Reach  the  Copalis  River. — Wreck  of  the  Steamer  General 
Warren. — The  Current  north  of  the  Columbia. — Appearance  of  the 
Coast. — Point  Grenville. — Arrive  at  Queniult. — Peculiar  Variety  of 
Salmon. — Indian  Tricks. — I  am  taken  sick. — Old  Carcowan  wishes 


CONTENTS. 


XUl 


to  have  me  killed. — ^Description  of  the  QueniSlts. — Start  for  Shoal- 
water  Bay. — Indian  Hospitality. — Bird  Feast  at  Point  Gvenville. — 
Style  of  Cooking. — Heavy  Surf  and  a  Capsize. — We  proceed  through 
the  Breakers. — Arrive  at  Gray's  Harbor. — A  Feast. — Fine  View. — 
Reach  Homo Page  250 

CHAPTER  XVI. 

Arrival  of  Win  ant  and  Roberts. — An  Election.  —  Our  first  Justice, 
Squire  Champ. — Big  Charley. — First  Court  in  the  Bay. — Constable 
Charley  makes  an  Arrest. — A  Trial,  and  a  celebrated  Verdict. — 
Another  Arrest  and  Trial. — Joe  locked  up  in  a  Hen-house. — First 
Vessel  built  in  the  Bay. — Bruce  Company. — Uncle  Ned. — Captain 
John  Morgan. — Monument  of  Oyster  Shells  to  Russell. — Hay-e-mar. 
— A  Trip  up  the  "Whil-a-pah  for  Salmon. — "Walter's  Point. — Sam 
Woodward's  Claim. — Roaring  Bill. — Ancient  Mariners. — Old  Chille- 
wit. — Night  Fishing. —  Lively  Time. — Start  for  Home. —  Shoot  a 
Lynx. — Otter  Shooting. — Charley  sees  the  Memelose  or  dead  Folks. 
— Singular  Occurrence. — We  get  rid  of  Charley. — First  Trail  from 
the  Cowlitz. — Lime-kiln  for  burning  Shells 277 

CHAPTER  XVn. 

County  Line. — Jury  Duty, — United  States  Court  at  Chenook. — The 
Court-house. — Grand  Jury. — Trial  of  Lamley  for  killing  an  Indian. 
— Grand  Jury  Room  very  Fishy. — Witnesses. — Captain  Johnson. — 
His  funny  Address  to  the  Court. — He  throws  himself  on  the  Mercy 
of  the  Court. — Captain  Scarborough. — Bill  Martindill. — The  Cap- 
tain's Advice  to  Bill. — The  District  Attorney  and  his  Address. — 
The  Counsel  for  the  Defense  quotes  from  the  "  Arabian  Nights." — 
He  gains  the  Case. — Captain  Johnson's  Vinegar  Speculation. — 
Johnson's  Death. — Death  of  Captain  Scarborough. — Fidelity  of  an 
Indian  Squaw. — Return  home. — Sharp  Work  in  a  Canoe. — Adven- 
ture with  Caslahhau 292 

CFIAPTER  XVIII. 

Language  of  the  Indians. — ^Tne  Jargon. — Different  Methods  of  spelling 
Words  by  Writers. — Difficulty  of  rightly  understanding  the  Jargon. 
— How  a  Language  cun  be  formed. — Origin  of  the  Indian  Language. 
— ^Remarks  of  Mr.  Squier. — Irish-sounding  Words  in  the  Chehalis 
Tongue. — An  amusing  Parable. — Views  of  Mr.  Duponce'au. —  Re- 
marks of  Gliddon.  —  Resemblance  between  Chehalis  and  Aztec 
Words. — ^Facts  relative  of  Indian  Journeys  south. — Mrs.  Duchenej^'s 
Narrative. — Difficulty  of  Indians  in  pronouncing  certain  Letters. — 
Cause  of  the  chuckling  Sound  of  the  Northwest  Languages. — Per- 
sons apt  to  misunderstand  Indian  Words. — Dislike  of  Indians  to 
learn  English. — Winter  Amusements. — Tomhays  and  the  Geese. — 
Arrival  of  Settlers. — Doctor  Johnson. — ^The  Doctor  and  myself  act 


f 


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XIV 


CONTENTS. 


m 


I  ( 


as  Lawyers  in  Champ's  Court. — Strong  Medicine. — Kohpoh  mistaken 
for  a  'Coon. — Visit  of  the  Klickatats. — Christmas  Dinner  on  Crow. — 
Baked  Skunk. — Fisherman's  Pudding Page  306 

CHAPTER  XIX. 

Indian  Treaties. — Invitation  to  be  present  at  a  Treaty  on  the  Chehalis 
River. — Journey  to  the  Chehalis. — VarioiA  Adventures. — We  reach 
the  River  and  encamp. — A  lively  Scene  going  up  to  the  Treaty-ground. 
— Description  of  the  Encampment.  —  Governor  Stevens.  —  Whites 
present. — Indians. — Uniform  of  the  Governor. — Colonel  Simmons. — 
Story-telling. — The  Governor  backs  up  my  Stories. — Judge  Ford. — 
Commissary  Cushman. — The  Treaty. — Indians  will  not  agree  to  it. — 
Number  of  Indians  in  the  Coast  Tribes. — Tleyuk. — Governor  takes 
away  Tleyuk's  "Paper." — Indians  have  no  Faith  in  the  Americans. — 
The  Conduct  of  the  Hudson  Bay  Company  contrasted  with  that  of 
the  Americans. — We  start  for  Home  and  encounter  a  Storm. — Che- 
halis River. — Adventures  on  our  Journey  home. — Colonel  Anderson's 
Adventures 327 

CHAPTER  XX. 

The  Whale.— Toke  in  the  Whale's  Belly.— Blubber  Feast.— Doctor 
Johnson  and  myself  as  Counsel. — Higher  Law. — Champ's  Decision. 

.  — Loss  of  Schooner  Empire. — Captain  Davis. — Captain  Eben  P.  Ba- 
ker.— M'Carty's  Child  among  the  Indians. — Her  Rescue. — Feelings 
of  the  Indians  toward  Whites. — Remarks  on  the  Indian  Character. — 
They  can  live  peaceably  with  Whites. — Course  adopted  by  the  Hud- 
son Bay  Company  toward  Indians. — Suggestions  about  a  System  of 
Sub-agencies. — Correct  Views  of  the  Hudson  Bay  Company  respeci- 
ing  Indians. — The  Conduct  of  the  Company  toward  Americans. — 
They  do  not  wish  Americans  among  them. — History  of  the  Hudson 
Bay  Company  and  their  Proceedings  toward  Americans. — Cause  of 
the  Outbreak  among  the  Indians. — Gold  Mines. — General  Palmer. — 
General  Wool. — Remarks,  tfec 360 

CHAPTER  XXL  ,  ,  t 
Description  of  Washington  Territory.- Face  of  the  Country.— Mount- 
ains, Minerals,  Rivers,  Bays,  and  Lakes.— Objects  of  Interest  to  the 
Tourist.— Falls  of  the  Snoqualmie.— Colonel  Anderson's  Description. 
—Anecdote  of  Patkanim.— He  forms  an  Alliance  with  Colonel  Mike 
Simmons.— Constructive  Presence  of  Colonel  Simmons  at  a  Fi^jht. — 
Productions  of  the  Territory.— Governor  Stevens's  Remarks.— North- 
ern Pacific  Rail-road.— Military  Roads.— Public  Spirit.— Appropria- 
tions by  Congress.— Judge  Lancaster.— Population.— Advantages  to 
Emigrants.— Whale  Fishery.— Russian  Trade.— Amoor  River.— Van- 
couver's Views  on  Climate.— Winter  of  1806  in  Latitude  56°  North.— 
Salmon,  1807.— Closing  Remarks.— Letter  from  Colonel  Anderson. 
— Advice  to  Emigrants 392 


LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


1.  Map  of  the  Western  Part  of  Washington  Territory,  compiled  by  the 
Author  from  the  U.  S.  Coast  Survey  Charts,  and  from  the  Map  of  the 
Surveyor  General  at  Washington. 

2.  Frontispiece.  An  Encampment  of  Lieutenant  Peter  Puget,  while 
making  his  Exploration  of  Pugct  Sound.  From  an  originol  Sketch  by 
John  Sykes,  one  of  Vancouver's  Draughtsmen. 

3.  Vignette  on  Title-page.  Territorial  Seal.  The  Motto,  Al-ki,  is  an 
Indian  word,  meaning  hereafter,  or  by-and-by. 

4.  C.  J.  W.  Russell's  House  and  Indian  Lodge.  From  an  original 
Sketch  by  the  Author Page  32 

5.  Camp  on  the  Palux.     From  an  original  Sketch  by  the  Author  37 

6.  Indian  Implements.  *'  "  "  "  "       39 
7  and  8.  Flowers.    These  are  drawn  one  third  their  natural  size  47,  48 

9.  Forests  in  Oregon 52 

10.  Oystermen  waiting  for  the  Tide 61 

11.  Bear-fight  on  Stony  Point.     Sketch  by  Author 71 

12.  Querquelin  River,  and  Residence  of  J.  G.  Swan.  Sketch  by 
Author.     Toke's  Lodge  on  the  right  of  the  Cut 75 

13  and  14.  Canoes.  From  the  Original  in  Possession  of  the  Author. 
The  Head  or  Bows  of  all  these  Canoes  are  to  the  left  hand  on  the 
Cuts .79,  80 

15.  Otter  Hunt 93 

16.  Salmon  Fishing  at  Cbenook.     Sketch  by  Author 106 

17.  Medal  of  Ship  Columbia 131 

18.  Indian  Cradle.  The  Child  in  this  Cut  is  elevated  from  the  cra- 
dle, 80  as  to  show  the  method  of  compressing  the  Head,  which  would 
not  be  seen  in  its  -real  Position,  where  nothing  of  the  Infant  is  visible 
but  its  Face 163 

19.  Method  of  BuriaL     Sketch  by  Author 187 

20.  Port  Orford  Rock 218 

21.  Fight  on  Battle  Rock 221 

22.  Queniult  Village.    Sketch  by  Author 262 

23.  Point  Grenville.  "      "        "      269 

24.  Inside  of  Indian  Lodge.       <'         "      331 

25.  Camp  on  the  Treaty  Ground,     Sketch  by  Author 336 

26.  Outside  of  Indian  Lodge.  "       «'        "      339 

27.  Blubber  Feast 361 

28.  Medal  of  Lewis  and  Clarke 407 


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CTHE  NORTHWEST  COAST,&G 


CHAPTER  I. 

Voyage  from  San  Francisco  tn  Shoitl-water  Bay. — BriR  Orient*  — 
PAMengera  on  board  the  Bri^. — Ship  a  heavy  8«».-  Mo*i«l^  '>f  -^e 
Columbia. — Quantities  of  Drift-wood. — Cross  the  Bar  at  SI  U-w»w«r 
Bay. — Heavy  Sea.  « 

During  the  fall  of  1852,  having  received  an  invit^ttotn 
from  my  friend,  Mr.  Charles  J.  W.  Hussell,  of  Hfe  '1- 
water  Bay,  to  make  him  ^  visit,  I  determined  to  r  yt 
his  kind  offer,  and  accordingly  secured  a  passa^  n 
board  the  brig  Oriental,  Ca  ptain  Hill,  which  was  bowad 
up  the  Bay  for  a  cargo  of  ^>iles  and  spruce  timber.  I 
had  always,  from  my  earliest  recollections,  a  strong  c  » 
sire  to  see  the  great  River  Columbia,  and  to  learn  sonv^ 
thing  of  the  habits  and  customs  of  the  tribes  of  inwm 
Northwest.  This  desire  had  )^en  increased  by  the  visit 
of  a  chief  of  the  Clalam  tribo  of  Indians  from  Puget 
Sound,  who  arrived  at  San  Francisco,  where  I  was  then 
residing,  and  who  received  a  great  deal  of  attention  from 
me  during  his  visit  of  two  or  three  weeks. 

This  chief,  whose  name  was  Ohetzamokha,  and  who 
is  known  by  the  whites  as  the  Duke  of  York,  was  very 
urgent  to  have  me  visit  his  peoj^e.  Subsequently,  on 
his  return  home,  he  sent  me  a  present  of  a  beautiful  ca- 
noe, and  a  bag  containing  a  quantity  of  cornelians,  which 
are  found  along  the  shores  of  the  bays  and  rivers  of 
Washington  and  Oregon  Territories. 

I  found,  on  joining  the  brig,  that  there  were  several 


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18 


THE  NORTHWEST  COAST;   OR, 


passengers  bound  to  the  Bay,  a  d  I  concluded,  as  they 
were  all  captains  of  vessels,  we  should  have  a  very  pleas- 
ant time.  There  was  Captain  Hill,  the  master,  Captain 
Pratt,  the  mate,  and  Captain  Baker,  Captain  Weldon, 
Captain  Swain,  Captain  Russell,  and  myself  for  passen- 
gers. I  believe,  with  the  exception  of  myself  and  the 
cook,  who  was  called  Doctor,  every  one  on  board  the  brig 
had  held  some  office.  I  was  the  only  one  addressed  as 
Mister,  and,  as  Captain  Baker  remarked,  it  was  quite  re- 
freshing to  have  one  person  on  board  without  a  title. 

We  left  the  harbor  of  San  Francisco  about  noon  on 
the  20th  of  November,  and  the  old  brig  being  very  light, 
we  were  tumbled  about  in  a  lively  manner  while  cross- 
ing the  bar,  where  there  was  a  tremendous  swell  running 
in  from  the  southwest.  However,  we  suffered  no  dam- 
age, and  soon  found  ourselves  on  our  course  with  a  fair 
wind.  We  continued  on  in  this  manner  for  three  days, 
without  any  thing  occurring  of  interest,  and  the  monot- 
ony of  the  scene  only  broken  by  the  stories  of  the  com- 
pany of  captains,  who,  sailor-like,  never  let  slip  an  op- 
portunity of  relating  a  jest  or  an  anecdote.  On  the 
fourth  day,  being  in  the  latitude  of  the  Columbia  River, 
the  wind  came  out  ahead,  and  blew  with  violence  from 
the  northwest.  This  soon  raised  a  heavy  sea,  and  the 
brig  could  make  but  little  progress.  On  the  evening 
of  the  24th,  while  standing  by  the  cabin  table  with  the 
captain,  looking  over  the  chart,  we  shipped  a  sea  which 
stove  in  the  window  of  the  cabin  (which  looked  out  on 
deck),  knocked  me  clear  over  the  table,  drenched  the  cap- 
tain, put  out  the  lights,  and  set  the  whole  cabin  afloat. 

The  other  passengers  had  turned  into  their  berths, 
where  they  lay  telling  stories,  and  they  were  most  in- 
tensely delighted  with  the  adventure.  The  steward  soon 
came,  who  lighted  the  lamp,  swabbed  up  the  floor,  and 
set  us  to  rights.     The  next  morning  we  found  ourselves 


THREE   YEARS   AT   SHOAL-WATER  BAY. 


19 


about  tliirty  miles  to  the  westward  of  the  Columbia  Riv- 
er, from  which  a  huge  volume  of  water  was  running,  car- 
rying in  its  course  great  quantities  of  drift-logs,  boards, 
chips,  and  saw-dust,  with  which  the  whole  water  around 
us  was  covered.  During  the  freshets  in  this  river,  the 
force  of  the  current  of  fresh  water  discharged  from  it  is 
sufficient  to  discolor  the  ocean  for  sixty  miles  from  the 
coast. 

The  wind  continuing  to  blow  from  the  northwest,  we 
beat  about  till  the  28th,  when,  running  in-shore,  we  made 
Cape  Shoal-water,  the  northern  point  at  the  entrance  to 
Shoal-water  Bay.  A  heavy  sea  was  breaking  on  the 
bar,  and  no  opening  presented  itself  to  us.  Russell,  who 
was  acting  pilot,  felt  afraid  to  venture,  and  wished  to 
stand  off;  but,  by  the  time  he  had  made  up  his  mind, 
we  had  neared  the  entrance,  so  that  it  was  impossible  for 
us  to  turn  to  windward,  and  the  only  alternative  was  to 
go  ashore  or  go  into  the  harbor.  '         :■'."'    • 

Every  man  was  stationed  at  his  post — Captain  Hill 
and  one  man  at  the  wheel.  Captains  Swain  and  Russell 
on  the  fore-yard,  looking  out,  Captain  Weldon  heaving 
the  lead,  the  sailors  at  the  braces,  and  Captain  Baker 
and  myself  watching  to  see  the  fun.  The  breakers  were 
very  high,  and  foamed,  and  roared,  and  dashed  around 
ns  in  the  most  terrific  manner ;  but  the  old  brig  was  as 
light  on  them  as  a  gull,  and,  without  shipping  a  drop  of 
water,  passed  over  and  through  them  all ;  and  after  run- 
ning up  the  channel  about  two  miles,  we  came  to  an- 
chor in  smooth  water,  and  found  ourselves  safe  and  sound 
in  Shoal-water  Bay. 


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THE   NORTHWEST  COAST;   OK, 


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CHAPTER  11. 

Discovery  of  Shoal-water  Bay  by  Meares  in  1788. — His  Description  of 
it.— Indians  come  out  of  the  Bay  in  a  Canoe.— Thick  Fog.— Meares'a 
Long-boat  Expedition  to  the  Bay. — Attack  by  Indians. — Vancou- 
ver's Description. — Alden's  Survey. — ^First  Settlers. — Description  of 
Shoal-water  Bay. 

Shoal-water  Bat  lies  north  of  the  Columbia  River, 
between  Capes  Shoal-water  and  Disappointment.  Cape 
Disappointment  is  in  latitude  46°  16'  north,  and  longi- 
tude 124°  01'  west  from  Greenwich.  And  Toke's  Point, 
or  the  extreme  northwest  point  of  Cape  Shoal-water, 
and  the  northern  shore  at  the  entrance  of  Shoal-water 
Bay,  is  in  latitude  46°  43'  north,  and  longitude  124°  02' 
west,  making  the  distance  from  the  entrance  of  the  Co- 
lumbia River  to  that  of  Shoal-water  Bay  twenty-seven 
miles. 

Cape  Shoal-water  and  Shoal-water  Bay  were  discov- 
ered by  Lieutenant  John  Meares,  commanding  the  East 
India  Company's  Ship  Felice,  of  London,  on  Saturday, 
July  5th,  1788.  Meares,  who  had  been  to  Nootka,  and 
other  trading-posts  north,  for  the  purpose  of  collecting 
furs,  had  left  a  part  of  his  company  to  build  a  small 
schooner,  and  was  proceeding  to  the  south  to  explore  the 
great  river  discovered  by  the  Spanish  navigator  Heceta 
on  the  15th  of  August,  1775,  and  named  by  him  Rio  de 
San  Roque,  or  River  of  St.  Roc,  and  which  was  after- 
ward entered  by  Captain  Robert  Gray,  in  the  ship  Co- 
lumbia, of  Boston,  in  1792,  and  named  by  him  the  Co- 
lumbia. Meares  writes,  "At  noon  our  latitude  was 
47°  01'  north,  and  the  lofty  mountains  seen  the  preceding 
day  bore  east-northeast  distant  seven  leagues.     Our  dis- 


'i 


THREE  YEARS   AT  SHOAL-WATER   BAY. 


21 


tance  might  be  four  leagues  from  the  shore,  which  ap- 
peared to  run  in  the  direction  of  east-southeast  and  west- 
northwest,  and  there  appeared  to  be  a  large  sound  or  open- 
ing in  that  direction.  By  two  o'clock  we  were  within  two 
miles  of  the  shore,  along  which  we  sailed,  which  ap- 
peared to  be  a  perfect  forest,  without  the  vestige  of  a 
habitation.  The  land  was  low  and  flat,  and  our  sound- 
ings were  from  fifteen  to  twenty  fathoms,  over  a  hard 
sand.  As  we  were  steering  for  the  low  point  which 
formed  part  of  the  entrance  into  the  bay  or  sound,  we 
shoaled  our  water  gradually  to  six  fathoms,  when  break- 
ers were  seen  to  extend  quite  across  it,  so  that  it  ap- 
peared to  be  quite  inaccessible  to  ships.  We  immedi- 
ately hauled  off  the  shore  till  we  deepened  our  water  to 
sixteen  fathoms. 

"  This  point  obtained  the  name  c^  Low  Point  (now 
Leadbetter  Point),  and  the  bay  that  of  Shoal-water  Bay, 
and  a  headland  that  was  high  and  bluff,  which  formed 
the  other  entrance,  was  also  named  Cape  Shoal-water. 
The  latitude  of  the  headland  we  judged  to  be  46°  47'' 
north,  and  the  longitude  23/)°  IV  east  of  Greenwich." 
(Vancouver  makes  the  latitude  of  Cape  Shoal-water  46° 
40'  north,  and  longitude  236°  east,  while  Captain  Al- 
den,  of  the  United  States  Coast  Survey,  makes  the  lati- 
tude 46°  43'  minutes  north,  a  mean  which  is  most  prob- 
able to  be  correct.)  "  The  distance  from  Low  Point  to 
Cape  Shoal-water  was  too  great  to  admit  of  an  observa- 
tion in  our  present  situation.  The  shoals  still  appeared 
to  run  from  shore  to  shore,  but  when  about  midway  we 
bore  up  near  them  in  order  to  discover  if  there  be  not  a 
channel  near  the  cape.  "We  accordingly  steered  for  the 
mouth  of  the  bay,  when  we  shoaled  our  water  to  eight 
fathoms.  At  this  time  the  breakers  were  not  more  than 
three  miles  from  us,  when  it  was  thought  prudent  to 
again  haul  off.     From  the  mast-head  it  was  observed 


ii\ 


1   " '  01 


'^''^ 


■0 


J^M 


-, '{ 


vi^ 
'^1^ 


^m 


h  .  ■  ■;!;' 


'\i 


m 


w^' 


% 


i"     *M 


22 


THE  NORTHWEST   COAST;   OR, 


>      II 


t/iat  this  bay  extended  a  considerable  way  inland^  ^read- 
ing into  several  ai"ms  or  branches  to  the  northward  and 
eastward.  The  back  of  it  was  bounded  by  high  and 
mountainous  land,  which  was  at  a  great  distance  from  us. 

"A  narrow  entrance  appeared  to  the  northwest,  but  it 
was  too  remote  for  us  to  discover,  even  with  our  glasses, 
whether  it  was  a  river  or  low  land.  We  had  concluded 
this  wild  and  desolate  shore  was  uninhabited ;  but  this 
opinion  proved  to  be  erroneous,  for  a  canoe  now  came 
off  to  us  from  the  point  with  a  man  and  a  boy.  On 
their  approach  to  the  ship  they  held  up  two  sea-otter 
skins ;  we  therefore  hove  to,  when  they  came  alongside 
and  took  hold  of  a  rope,  but  could  not  be  persuaded  to 
come  on  board.  We  then  fastened  several  trifling  arti- 
cles to  a  cord,  and  threw  them  over  the  side  of  the  ship, 
when  they  were  instantly  seized  by  the  boy  and  deliver- 
ed by  him  to  the  man,  who  did  not  hesitate  a  moment  to 
tie  the  otter  skins  to  the  cord,  and  waved  his  hand  as  a 
sign  for  us  to  take  them  on  board,  which  w^as  according- 
ly done,  and  an  additional  present  conveyed  to  him  in 
the  same  mannei  as  the  former. 

"  These  strangers  appeared  to  be  highly  delighted 
with  their  unexpected  treasure,  and  seemed  at  first  to  be 
wholly  absorbed  in  their  attention  to  the  articles  which 
composed  it.  But  then  their  curiosity  was  in  a  short 
time  entirely  transferred  to  the  ship,  and  their  eyes  ran 
over  every  part  of  it  with  a  most  rapid  transition,  while 
their  actions  expressed  such  extreme  delight  as  gave  us 
every  reason  to  conclude  that  this  was  the  first  time  they 
had  ever  been  gratified  with  the  sight  of  such  an  ob- 
ject. *  *  *  *  During  the  time  we  had  been  lying 
to  for  these  natives,  the  ship  had  drifted  bodily  down  to 
the  shoals,  which  obliged  us  to  make  sail,  when  the  ca- 
noe paddled  into  the  Bay. 

"  It  was  our  wish  to  have  sent  the  long-boat  to  sound 


5 


:i 


kM 


THREE  YEAES  AT  SHOAL-WATER  BAY. 


23 


near  the  shoals,  in  order  to  discover  if  there  was  any 
channel,  but  the  weather  was  so  cloudy,  and  altogether 
had  so  unsettled  an  appearance,  that  we  were  discour- 
aged from  executing  such  a  design.  Nothing,  therefore, 
was  left  to  us  but  to  coast  it  along  the  shore  and  endeavor 
to  find  some  place  where  the  ship  might  be  brought  to  a 
secure  anchorage. 

.  "  On  the  morning  of  the  sixth,  the  wind  blew  from  the 
north,  with  a  strong,  heavy  sea.  At  half  past  ten,  being 
within  three  leagues  of  Cape  Shoal-water,  we  had  a  per- 
fect view  of  it,  and  with  the  glasses  we  traced  the  line 
of  coast  to  the  southward,  which  presented  no  opening 
that  promised  any  thing  like  a  harbor.  A  high,  bluff 
promontory  bore  off  us  southeast  at  the  distance  of  only 
four  leagues,  for  which  we  steered  to  double,  with  the 
hope  that  between  it  and  Cape  Shoal-water  we  should 
find  some  sort  of  a  harbor.  •  :t 

-  "We  gave  the  name  of  Cape  Disappointment  to  the 
promontory."  (:  l    .  /; 

Meares  having  failed  to  discover  the  Columbia,  or,  as 
it  was  then  called  by  Heceta,  the  San  Roque,  steered  fot 
the  north,  and  entered  Fuca  Straits,  and  being  anxious 
to  procure  some  farther  information  and  knowledge  of 
the  people  of  Shoal- water  Bay,  he  fitted  out  his  long- 
boat, and  manned  her  with  thirteen  of  his  men,  with  pro- 
visions for  one  month,  intending  to  send  her  down  to 
the  Bay ;  but  the  boat  was  attacked  while  in  the  strait 
by  the  Indians,  and  the  project  abandoned. 

Vancouver  writes  that  in  1792,  "after  leaving  Cape 
Disappointment,  we  made  Cape  Shoal-water,  and  en- 
deavored to  enter  Shoal-water  Bay ;  but  considering, 
from  the  appearance  of  the  breakers,  that  the  harbor  was 
inaccessible  to  the  ship,  and  having  a  fair  wind,  we  sailed 
on  to  the  northward." 

Although  Shoal-water  Bay  is  laid  down  on  the  charts 


'wi 


'■y 


f     J'- 


P4 


-■:ii 


m 


24 


THE  NORTHWEST  COAST;    OR, 


i  I  fyS 


h  ;i 


of  Captain  Cook  and  Captain  Meares,  in  a  publication 
November  18,  1790,  by  J.  Walter,  No.  169  Piccadilly, 
London,  on  which  the  mouth  of  the  Columbia  is  laid 
down  as  Deception  Bay,  yet  it  is  not  laid  down  on  any 
subsequent  publication  till  since  the  survey  of  Captain 
Alden  in  1852.  The  probable  reason  is  that  Meares, 
having  failed  to  discover  the  great  river  San  Boque,  or 
Oregon,  concluded  that  it  found  its  passage  to  the  Pacific 
Ocean  through  Fuca  Straits,  and  has  so  laid  it  down 
on  his  map ;  and  the  subsequent  discovery  by  Captain 
Gray  proving  the  inaccuracy  of  Meares's  chart,  it  was 
thrown  aside  altogether,  and  his  account  of  Shoal-water 
Bay  considered  fabulous. 

In  1852,  Lieutenant  Commanding  James  Alden,  in 
the  United  States  surveying  steamer  Active,  made  a  re- 
connaissance of  Shoal-water  Bay,  and  on  October  4th  of 
the  same  year,  in  a  letter  to  the  superintendent  of  the 
coast  survey,  he  writes :  "  We  have  made  a  reconnais- 
sance of  the  entrance  to  Shoal-water  Bay,  and  all  the 
northern  portion  of  it,  comprising  an  area  of  about  one 
hundred  square  miles.  The  remainder,  which  we  were 
prevented  from  examining  for  want  of  time,  is  a  broad 
sheet  of  water,  from  four  to  five  miles  wide,  extending  in 
a  southerly  direction  to  within  four  miles  of  Baker's  Bay, 
Columbia  River,  and  is  shut  out  from  the  sea  by  a  nar- 
row peninsula,  which  commences  just  behind  Cape  Dis- 
appointment, and  runs  due  north  some  twenty-five  miles, 
forming  at  its  terminus  the  south  point  of  the  entrance. 
It  is  full  of  shoals,  as  its  name  implies,  but  there  is  plen- 
ty of  water  among  them,  and  they  are  generally  bare  at 
low  water.  They  are  easily  found,  and  quite  accessible. 
The  land  is  well  timbered,  and  I  suppose  there  is  plenty 
of  it  sufficiently  good  for  agricultural  purposes.  At 
present  there  are  no  whites  in  the  Bay,  except  a  few 
who  are  employed  in  collecting  oysters  for  the  Califor- 
nia market." 


i      ! 


THREE  YEARS  AT  SHOAL-WATER  BAY. 


25 


The  next  morning  after  cnr  arrival  I  went  ashore  with 
the  rest  of  the  passengers  to  the  house  of  Mr.  Kussell, 
with  whom  I  intended  to  remain  for  a  short  time.  I 
found  a  few  other  settlers  in  the  Bay,  who  were  located 
there  (as  was  also  Mr.  Russell)  for  the  purpose  of  pro- 
curing oysters  for  the  market  of  San  Francisco.  It 
was  during  the  year  1851  that  the  first  oysters  were  in- 
troduced into  the  San  Francisco  market  by  Mr.  Russell, 
who  was  then  engaged  in  trade  at  Pacific  City,  at  the 
mouth  of  the  Columbia  River,  and  who  carried  them 
down  in  the  steamer  from  Astoria.  Sometime  in  the  fall 
of  the  same  year  Captain  Fieldsted  entered  the  Bay  in  a 
schooner  and  obtained  the  first  load  of  oysters  ever  taken 
to  San  Francisco. 

A  few  settlers  then  came  at  intervals  to  locate  them- 
selves ;  and  on  my  arrival  there  were  the  following  indi- 
viduals, who  constituted  the  only  white  inhabitants  of 
the  region,  viz.,  Charles  J.  W.  Russell,  Mark  Winant, 
John  Morgan,  Alexander  Hanson,  Richard  J.  Milward, 
Thos.  Foster,  George  G.  Bartlett,  Richard  Hillyer,  John 
W.  Cliamp,  Samuel  Sweeney,  Stephen  Marshall,  Charles 
W.  Denter,  A.  E.  St.  John,  and  Walter  Lynde. 

There  were  also  a  few  persons  engaged  in  cutting 
timber  on  the  banks  of  one  of  the  streams  emptying  into 
the  northeast  part  of  the  Bay,  and  who  had  engaged  to 
load  the  brig  with  piles  for  the  San  Francisco  market. 
Their  names  were  Brown,  Dousett,  Simonds,  Chatwick, 
and  Tothill,  but  they  all  left  in  a  few  months. 

While  the  brig  was  taking  in  her  cargo,  I  went  with 
Mr.  Russell  to  examine  the  Bay.  I  found  it  to  be,  as 
Captain  Alden  has  described  it,  a  broad  sheet  of  water, 
full  of  shoals,  through  which  the  different  rivers  running 
into  it  have  worn  deep  channels,  where,  at  all  times  of 
tide,  there  is  a  good  anchorage  and  plenty  of  water.  The 
principal  river  is  the  Whil-a-pah,  a  fine  stream  empty- 

B 


f 


r,<y 


.i,r 


'!« 


II 


!l  I    it,'. 


i-  r- 


H       if'-', 


Ik 


26 


THE  NORTHWEST  COAST;  OR, 


I* 

m 


K' J 


'i 


ing  into  the  Bay  at  its  northeast  comer.  This  river,  to- 
gether with  the  Necomanchee  or  Nickomin,  and  two  or 
three  small  creeks  running  into  the  north  end  of  the  Bay, 
have  formed  a  fine  beaten  channel,  which  is  known  as  the 
North  Channel,  and  is  the  principal  entrance  to  the  Bay 
at  present  used  by  the  vessels  trading  there.  Farther  to 
the  south,  the  Palux  or  Copalux  River  runs  tlirough  the 
shoals,  and  joins  the  North  Channel  near  the  entrance  to 
the  harbor.  About  fifteen  miles  south  of  the  Palux  the 
Marhoo  or  Neraar,  and  Achaitlin  or  Big  River,  join  their 
waters  with  those  of  the  Nasal,  a  noble  stream,  and  these, 
together  with  the  Bear  River,  Tarlilt,  and  sundry  small 
creeks  and  brooks,  have  worn  the  deep  and  excellent 
passage  known  as  the  South  Channel.  At  low  tide  the 
flats  and  shoals  are  all  bare,  and  the  water  rushes  through 
the  channels  with  great  velocity,  making  an  attempt  to 
stem  the  current,  either  in  boat  or  canoe,  a  very  labori- 
ous, and,  at  times,  dangerous  experiment. 

The  shoals  are  covered  with  shell-fish,  among  which 
the  oyster  is  the  most  abundant,  and  constitutes  the  prin- 
cipal article  of  export.  Several  varieties  of  clams,  crabs 
of  the  largest  size,  and  of  a  most  delicious  flavor,  shrimps, 
mussels,  and  a  small  species  of  sand-lobster,  are  in  the 
greatest  abundance,  and  furnish  nutritious  food,  not  only 
to  the  different  tribes  of  Indians  who  resort  to  the  Bay 
at  different  seasons  to  procure  supplies,  but  also  to  the 
white  settler,  who  is  thus  enabled  to  greatly  reduce  the 
expenses  of  living  when  compared  with  those  settlements 
on  the  Columbia  River  and  interior  where  provisions  of 
all  kinds  are  usually  scarce  and  high. 

The  waters  of  the  Bay,  and  all  the  streams  that  enter 
into  it,  are  well  stocked  with  fish.  Salmon  of  several 
varieties  abound,  and  are  taken  in  great  numbers  by  the 
Indians  for  their  own  food  or  for  trading  with  the  whites. 
Sturgeon  of  a  very  superior  quality  are  plenty,  and  form 


THREE  YEARS  Al      HOAL-WATER  BAY. 


27 


a  principal  item  in  the  stock  of  provisions  the  Indians  lay 
by  for  their  winter  use. 

The  rivers  and  mountain  streams  abound  in  trout. 
Flatfish,  such  as  turbot,  soles,  and  flounders,  are  plen- 
ty, and  in  the  spring,  innumerable  shoals  of  herring  visit 
the  Bay,  and  are  readily  caught  by  the  Indians,  either 
with  nets,  or  in  weirs  and  traps,  rudely  constructed  of 
twigs  and  brush. 

The  shores  of  the  Bay,  with  the  exception  of  the  west 
or  peninsular  side,  are  mostly  composed  of  high  banks 
of  a  sandy  clay,  intermingled  with  strata  of  shells  and 
remains  of  ancient  forest-trees  that  for  ages  have  been 
buried.  The  faces  of  these  cliffs  are  generally  perpen- 
dicular, particularly  when  washed  by  the  waves  of  the 
Bay ;  but  in  some  places  they  gradually  descend  to  the 
water,  having  a  level  space,  covered  either  with  grass  or  • 
bushes,  close  to  the  water's  edge.  The  peninsula  is  a 
flat,  marshy,  and  sandy  plain,  elevated  but  a  few  feet  from 
the  water  level,  and  covered,  as  is  also  the  whole  region 
around  the  Bay,  with  a  dense  growth  of  gigantic  forest- 
trees,  principally  spruce,  fir,  and  cedar,  with  a  few  speci- 
mens of  maple  and  ash,  and  black  alder,  which  here 
grows  to  a  tree. 

There  are  three  islands  in  Shoal- water  Bay ;  one,  at 
the  North  Bay,  called  Pine  Island,  is  a  small  sand-islet 
of  some  four  or  five  acres  in  extent,  covered  with  low, 
stunted  pine-trees  and  beach-grass.  Some  of  the  oyster- 
men  reside  on  it,  as  it  is  near  the  channel  and  the  oyster- 
beds. 

That  portion  of  the  Bay  from  its  northern  extremity 
to  the  southern  point  at  the  mouth  of  the  River  Palux 
(called  Goose  Point)  is  termed  the  North  Bay,  and  all 
to  the  south  of  Goose  Point,  South  Bay.  About  seven- 
teen miles  south  of  Goose  Point  is  another  island,  called 
Long  Island,  some  six  or  eight  miles  long,  but  narrow, 


=  ^^1^^ 


^ 


■  Vi 


>? 


88 


THE  NOKTHWEST  COAST;   OB, 


Itl: 


and  not  over  a  mile  and  a  half  wide  at  its  greatest  width. 
This  island  is  covered  with  a  thick  forest,  except  in  a  few 
places,  where  there  are  small  prairie  patches,  very  rich, 
and  easily  cultivated.  The  timber,  however,  is  of  little 
account,  and  would  scarcely  pay  the  labor  of  clearing. 

South  of  Long  Island  is  another  small  islet,  called 
Bound  Island,  from  its  shape.  It  is  small,  not  over 
two  acres  in  extent,  and  covered  with  spruce-trees  and 
bushes. 

The  various  rivers  running  into  the  Bay  are  not  of 
any  great  length.  The  Whil-a-pah,  which  is  the  long- 
est, is  navigable  for  vessels  drawing  from  twelve  to  fif- 
teen feet  of  water  twenty  miles  from  its  mouth,  and  for 
boats  to  within  a  short  distance  of  the  Cowlitz  Biver. 
The  Palux  and  Nasal  are  only  navigable  for  large  ves- 
sels for  a  few  miles  from  their  mouths ;  but  all  the  riv- 
ers, large  and  small,  run  through  tine  prairie-land,  exceed- 
ingly rch.  That  portion  nearest  the  Bay  is  liable  to  be 
overflowed  once  or  twice  during  the  highest  tides  of  win- 
ter, and  are  termed  tide  lands.  This  overflowing  is, 
however,  of  no  detriment,  although  the  water  is  salt,  as, 
wherever  the  lands  have  been  properly  cultivated,  they 
have  yielded  heavy  crops. 

These  prairies  are  all  covered  with  grass  of  an  excel- 
lent quality,  making  good  grazing  for  stock,  or  a  nutri- 
tious fodder  when  cut  and  made  into  hay. 

Elk,  deer,  and  antelope  are  very  plenty,  and  find  ample 
sustenance  at  all  seasons  of  the  year.  The  other  wild 
animals  which  abound  are  black  bears,  wolves,  lynx,  pan- 
thers, and  in  the  streams  are  otter  and  beaver.  There 
are  also  raccoons,  foxes,  rabbits,  skunks  and  squirrels, 
minks,  martens,  and  a  singular  species  of  rat,  called  the 
bush-tailed  rat  {ISfeotoma  Drummondii).  This  animal  is 
of  a  very  mischievous  nature,  seeming  to  take  delight  in 
collecting  all  sorts  of  things,  and  conveying  them  to  its 


THBEE  TEARS  AT  SIIOAL-WATES 


nest ;  instances  are  known  of  great  confusion  being  oc- 
casioned among  settlers  at  the  sudden  disappearance  of 
articles  which  were  afterward  found  hidden  away  by 
these  rats.  I  have  found  in  an  old  boot,  that  had  been 
laid  away  during  the  summer,  coffee,  beans,  dried  apples, 
nails,  ends  of  cigars,  old  pipes,  and  a  variety  of  other" 
loose  trash,  which  were  not  lit  for  food,  and  could  only 
have  been  collected  for  mischief. 

The  feathered  tribe  are  numerous,  and  during  the  sea- 
son flock  hither  in  clouds :  white  and  black  swans,  white 
geese,  Canada  geese,  brant,  sheldrake,  cormorants,  loon, 
mallard  ducks,  red-head,  gray,  and  canvas-back  ducks, 
teal,  curlew,  snipe,  plover,  pheasant,  quail,  pigeons,  and 
robins.  During  the  summer  months  pelican  are  plenty, 
and  go  sailing  round  in  their  heavy,  lazy  flight,  occasion- 
ally dashing  down  into  the  water  in  the  most  clumsy 
manner  to  catch  a  fish,  and  at  all  times  an  easy  prey  and 
an  acceptable  banquet  to  the  Indians,  who  swallow  their 
coarse,  fishy,  oily  flesh  with  the  greatest  avidity.  Innu- 
merable flocks  of  gulls  of  various  species  are  constantly 
to  be  seen,  and  at  times,  when  attracted  by  any  quanti- 
ties of  food,  appear  like  clouds.  These  birds,  also,  are 
readily  eaten  by  the  Indians,  who  never  are  at  a  loss  to 
find  means  to  appease  their  appetite. 

Porpoises  and  seals  are  plenty  in  the  Bay,  and  the  lat- 
ter are  very  easily  killed  either  with  spears  or  by  shoot- 
ing. Their  flesh,  particularly  the  young  ones,  is  very 
palatable,  and  their  blubber  makes  excellent  oil,  which 
is  eaten  by  the  Indians.  Whales  are  frequently  thrown 
ashore  on  the  beach  bordering  the  Pacific  during  the 
winter  and  spring  months,  and  their  blubber  forms  an 
important  article  of  diet  with  the  natives.  The  salmon, 
seal,  and  whale  oils  form  the  same  important  part  of  the 
domestic  economy  of  the  coast  Indians  as  lard,  butter, 
or  olive  oil  do  with  the  whites ;  and  the  Indian  who  has 


n^ 


\  ((„  I 


*i  IM 


H 


![<. 


K    TilVf 


f'^E 


i 


80 


THE  NORTHWEST  COAST;   OR, 


'    i 


i 


m  If 


i 


!  -I 

hi 
i ;! 


:  ;i 


HI 


not  at  all  times  in  his  lodge  a  good  supply  of  oil  or  blub- 
ber not  only  feels  very  poor,  but  is  so  considered  bv  all 
his  acquaintance  and  friends. 

Shoal-water  Bay,  as  a  harbor,  will  be  of  great  import- 
ance to  Washington  Territory  as  soon  as  its  advantages 
are  known  and  the  country  becomes  settled.  The  en- 
trance to  the  Bay  from  the  ocean  is  very  direct  and  eas- 
ily found,  and  the  excellent  chart  by  Captain  Alden  en- 
ables vessels  of  a  light  draft  of  water  to  run  in  at  all 
times  of  tide.  There  is  always,  at  the  lowest  stages  of 
tide,  from  three  to  three  and  a  half  fathoms  of  water  on 
the  bar ;  and  as  the  volume  of  water  discharged  from  the 
Bay  is  never  so  great  as  from  the  Columbia,  there  is  not 
so  heavy  a  swell  or  so  dangerous  breakers  as  may  be 
found  occasionally  at  the  Columbia's  mouth ;  while  the 
distance  between  the  entrances  of  tlie  river  and  bay,  be- 
ing only  twenty-seven  miles,  makes  it  a  ready  and  safe 
harbor  of  refuge  for  vessels  that,  from  storms  and  heavy 
breakers,  dare  not  risk  crossing  the  bar  of  the  Columbia ; 
and  I  have  known  of  several  instances  where  vessels 
have  availed  themselves  of  the  opportunity. 

As  a  fishing-station,  this  bay  presents  many  advant- 
ages. It  is  directly  and  immediately  on  the  whaling- 
ground,  and  small  vessels  can  be  fitted  out  for  a  cruise 
and  placed  in  the  right  position  as  readily  as  the  former 
whalers  of  Nantucket,  who  performed  their  voyages  of  a 
few  weeks  or  months  in  sloops  or  small  schooners.  By 
establishing  a  trading-post  where  vessels  could  obtain 
supplies,  which  can  always  be  speedily  replenished  at 
San  Francisco,  a  fleet  of  five  or  six  schooners,  of  a  hund- 
red tons  each,  could  be  fitted  and  maintained  for  less 
than  the  cost  of  a  three  years'  voyage  for  one  ship  from 
New  Bedford ;  while  the  ease  with  which  the  oil  could 
find  a  market  would  enable  the  capital  employed  to  make 
many  returns  before  a  ship  having  to  make  a  voyage 
round  Cape  Horn  could  possibly  be  heard  from. 


*  -*tfl 


*r 


THREE  YEARS  AT  SHOAL-WATER  BAT. 


33 


Codfish  and  halibut  abound  on  this  part  of  the  coast, 
and  an  important  and  lucrative  business  in  that  branch 
of  industry  might  be  readily  established.  The  ease  with 
which  communication  can  be  had  with  San  Francisco  by 
means  of  the  mail  steamers  at  Astoria  renders  the  Bay  a 
more  desirable  locality  than  points  farther  north,  while 
the  dangers  of  the  entrance  are  far  less  than  at  the  Cof 
lumbia. 


m 


I      J  HI 


(t  i.    va 


CHAPTER  III. 

RusseirB  House. — ^Description  of  Toke  and  Suis. — Russell  tells  the  In-r 
dians  I  am  a  Doctor. — Style  of  Medicine. — Salmon  Fishing  on  the 
Palux. — Old  Cartumhays. — Our  Reception  at  his  Lodge. — Camp  on 
the  Palux. — Duck  Shooting. — Great  Quantities  of  Salmon. — Falls  of 
the  Palux. — The  Devil's  Walking-stick. — Singular  Superstition  of 
the  Indians. 

Russell's  house  was  the  only  frame  building  at  that 
time  in  the  Bay,  and  was  used  by  him  as  a  trading-post 
as  well  as  a  dwelling.  His  business  was  collecting  and 
shipping  oysters  to  San  Francisco,  and  he  consequently 
employed  a  great  number  of  Indians  to  work  for  him. 
Near  the  house  was  a  large  lodge,  owned  by  an  old  chief 
named  Toke,  who,  with  his  family  and  slaves,  had  taken 
up  their  abode,  although  his  own  place  was  across  the 
Bay,  at  its  south  side,  near  Cape  Shoal-water,  at  a  point 
known  as  Toke's  Point,  a  name  still  retained  by  Captain 
Alden  on  his  chart.  Toke  had  been  a  man  of  a  great  deal 
of  importance  among  the  Indians,  but  advancing  years 
and  an  inordinate  love  of  whisky  had  reduced  him  to  be- 
ing regarded  as  an  object  of  contempt  and  aversion  by 
the  whites,  and  a  butt  for  the  jests  and  ridicule  of  the 
Indians.  But,  when  the  old  fellow  was  sober,  he  was 
full  of  traditionary  tales  of  prowess,  and  legends  of  the 
days  of  old.     He  was  also  one  of  the  best  men  in  the 

B2 


^    fi  M 


I 

'  1* 


t\ 


1  Ji 


'  ^r 


."'i 


r,^' 


34 


THE  NORTHWEST   COAST;   OR, 


Bay  to  handle  a  canoe,  or  to  show  the  various  channels 
and  streams  ;  and  often  afterward  I  have  called  his  serv- 
ices into  requisition,  and  always  found  him  faithful  and 
efficient. 

His  wife,  Suis,  was  a  most  remarkable  woman,  pos- 
sessing a  fund  of  information  in  all  matters  relative  to 
incidents  and  traditions  relating  to  the  Bay,  with  a 
shrewdness  and  tact  in  managing  her  own  affairs  uncom- 
mon among  the  Indian  women.  The  other  Indians,  who 
were  working  for  Russell,  and  who  belonged  at  some  dis- 
tance, either  among  the  Chenooks  at  the  south,  or  the 
Chehalis  and  Queniult  tribes  at  the  north,  were  camped 
around  the  house  in  little  tents  made  of  mats  or  tlieir 
canoe-sails. 

Russell,  who  had  a  good  deal  of  the  romancing  spirit 
of  the  Baron  Munchausen  in  his  composition,  and  who 
wished  not  only  to  appear  great  in  tlio  eyes  of  the  In- 
dians, but  to  make  them  believe  all  his  friends  were  of 
importance,  introduced  me  to  these  savages  as  a  cele- 
brated doctor,  a  fable  which  my  utter  ignorance  of  their 
language  prevented  my  denying.  However,  by  the  aid 
of  a  medicine-chest  of  his,  containing  a  few  simple  drugs, 
I  went  to  work,  and  "oon  effected  some  wonderful  cures. 
The  most  celebrated  and  potent  medicine  was  a  mixture 
of  aqua  ammonias  and  whale  oil,  prepared  in  the  form  of 
a  liniment.  This  was  effectual  in  curing  headaches  and 
rheumatic  affections  of  various  kinds.  The  patient  was 
first  required  to  smell  the  medicine,  which  was  afterward 
rubbed  on  the  affected  part,  and  then  faixh  was  expected 
to  finish  the  cure.  This  was  a  very  popular  medicine, 
and  was  considered,  from  its  pungency,  to  be  very  potent. 
The  rest  of  my  stock  of  medicine  consisted  of  nearly  a 
pound  of  dried  boneset  herb,  a  couple  of  pounds  of  flow- 
ers of  sulphur,  and  a  pound  or  so  of  salts.  My  stock  in 
trade  was  on  a  par  with  ray  stock  of  information ;  but 


Mms 


THllEE  YEAES  AT  SHOAL-WATER  BAY. 


35 


great  faith  on  the  part  of  the  Indians,  with  their  most 
excellent  constitutions,  enabled  me  to  perform  my  duties 
to  the  great  satisfaction  of  all  parties. 

It  was  not  long,  however,  before  what  was  at  first  a 
mere  jest  on  Kussell's  part  turned  out  more  real  than 
either  of  us  anticipated ;  for  the  small-pox  breaking  out 
among  the  whites  and  Indians,  I  was  obliged  to  render 
my  services  in  a  far  more  important  and  trying  manner 
than  I  ever  expected.  A  full  account  will  be  given  of 
that  sad  time  in  another  chapter. 

As  we  had  brought  up  barrels  and  salt  from  San  Fran- 
cisco for  salmon,  it  was  proposed  by  Kussell  that  we 
should  go  out  on  a  fishing  expedition,  although  the  sea- 
son was  very  far  advanced,  and  the  fish  had  nearly  done 
running  for  that  year.  Accordingly,  he  procured  five  In- 
dians, and,  taking  two  canoes  with  us  well  stocked  with 
provisions,  we  started  for  the  Palux  River,  about  four 
miles  to  the  south.  We  went  up  the  river  about  ten 
miles,  where  we  found  there  were  three  forks  or  branch- 
es— one  running  to  the  southeast,  another,  or  the  middle 
fork,  to  the  east,  and  called  Tomhays  River,  from  an  In- 
dian who  lived  at  its  junction  with  the  other  branches, 
or  north  lork.  This  Indian,  whose  name  is  Cartumhays, 
and  certainly  one  of  the  greatest  liars  and  thieves  I  ever 
saw,  continually  talks  about  his  great  honesty.  "  No 
lie,  Tomhays,"  "great  chief,"  "good  man,"  are  about 
the  only  English  words  he  knows,  and  which,  parrot-like, 
he  constantly  repeats  when  addressing  the  whites.  Tom- 
hays had  long  been  among  the  whites,  both  with  the 
Hudson  Bay  Company  people  at  Chenook,  or  with  the 
settlers  at  Astoria,  and  is  pretty  generally  known  to  ev- 
ery person  around  the  mouth  of  the  Columbia  River; 
and  being,  withal,  a  shrewd  fellow,  had  picked  up  quite 
a  number  of  ideas  of  the  white  men's  style  of  living. 

It  was  to  the  lodge  of  this  worthy  that  Russell  direct- 


t'i 


*. ,. 


'.'■i  ill 


^..f- 


iM 


fl 


i^fi 


m 


36 


THE  NORTHWEST  COAST;    OR, 


iilji!! 


r\ 


■'ill! 
i'l  II 


ed  our  Indians  to  proceed,  **for,"  said  he,  "we  shall 
have  to  pass  over  a  big  snag  tip  the  river,  and  we  may 
as  well  wait  till  near  high  water,  when  we  can  haul  over 
the  canoes  much  easier ;  and,  besides,  old  Tomhays  will 
give  us  a  good  cup  of  coffee  and  some  nice  broiled  sal- 
mon." We  soon  landed,  and  were  received  by  a  yelp- 
ing pack  of  dogs,  who  were  repaid  for  their  civilities  by 
sundry  blows  from  sticks  and  stones,  indiscriminately 
bestowed  by  our  copper-colored  attendants  as  a  sort  of 
largesse,  as  the  heralds  of  the  knights  of  old  threw  purses 
and  handfuls  of  coin  among  the  retainers  of  the  nobles 
whom  they  were  about  to  visit. 

The  noise  made  by  the  dogs  and  Indians  called  out 
old  Cartumhays,  who,  after  giving  vent  to  his  disgust 
and  indignation  at  the  treatment  his  hounds  and  curs 
had  received,  invited  us  into  his  lodge,  which  was  situ- 
ated up  the  hill  a  short  distance  from  the  landing. 

He  soon  prepared  a  meal,  and  gave  us  a  nice  cup  of 
coffee,  which  he  ground  in  a  hand-mill  that  he  had  un- 
doubtedly stolen  from  some  white  person. 

We  remained  an  hour  with  him,  when,  finding  the  tide 
to  be  about  right,  we  started  off,  and  proceeded  up  the 
north  fork  about  a  mile,  where  we  came  to  the  snag,  which 
was  an  immense  spruce  tree  fallen  directly  across  the 
river.  We  soon  hauled  the  canoes  over,  and  proceeded 
tip  three  quarters  of  a  mile  farther,  where  we  went  ashore 
and  camped.  The  river  at  this  place  runs  through  a  deep 
inountain  gorge,  and  at  that  time,  at  low  tide,  was  but  a 
shallow  stream,  very  narrow,  and  easily  forded.  The  win- 
ter rains  had  not  fairly  set  in,  or  we  could  not  have  camp- 
ed where  we  did,  for  in  the  rainy  season,  and  in  times  of 
freshets,  the  water  comes  tumbling,  and  foaming,  and 
roaring  down  that  narrow  pass  in  a  fearful  manner.  Our 
camp  was  easily  made.  The  bushes  were  cut  down, 
and  a  couple  of  forked  poles  stuck  into  the  ground,  hav- 


:i!i 


THREE   YEARS   AT   SHOAL- WATER   BAY. 


37 


:■■:,  r  v4     ^^" 


OAHP  ON  TUU  1-AliUX. 


ing  another  pole  laid  parallel  across  their  tops.  From 
this  ridge-pole  a  boat-sail  we  had  with  us  was  hung,  so 
as  to  form  a  sort  of  roof  to  keep  off  the  dew  or  rain,  and 
in  front  of  this  was  kindled  a  fire. 

While  we  were  getting  the  camp  ready,  two  of  the  In- 
dians went  to  catch  some  '  almon  for  supper,  while  I  took 
my  gun  to  try  some  of  the  ducks  that  were  flying  through 
the  gorge  in  myriads.  The  great  spruce  and  fir  trees 
on  either  side  of  the  river  threw  their  long  branches  so 
as  to  interlace  with  each  other  quite  across  the  stream, 
forming  not  only  a  dense  shade,  but  obliging  the  wild 
fowl  to  fiy  within  such  circumscribed  limits  as  to  be 
easily  sliot.  It  was  nearly  dark  when  we  had  finished 
the  camp,  but  before  night  the  Indians  had  caught  a 
dozen  fine  salmon,  and  Russell  nnd  myself  had  killed  as 
many  ducks.  Our  supper  was  soon  prepared,  Russell 
and  myself  eating  duck,  which  we  cooked  to  suit  our 
taste,  and  the  Indians  confining  their  attention  to  the 
salmon,  of  wliich  they  ate  inordinate  quantities. 


f^- 


:i  '"  '5 


-I  y? 


IM 


III 


88 


THE   NORTHWEST   COAST;     OR, 


S! 


After  we  had  smoked  our  pipes  and  built  an  enormous 
fire,  we  rolled  ourselves  in  our  blankets  and  went  to  sleep, 
from  which  we  were  awakened  before  daylight  by  the 
rush  cf  wings  of  the  ducks  and  other  wild  fowl  getting 
ready  for  their  morning  meal,  and  the  splashing  of  the 
salmon  in  the  river.  I  was  thoroughly  roused  up  by  the 
report  of  a  gun,  fired  off,  as  I  thought,  close  to  my  ear. 
It  proved  that  one  of  the  Indians,  who  had  waked  before 
the  rest,  discovered  a  couple  of  sheldrake  in  our  camp, 
feasting  on  the  remains  of  our  last  night's  supper.  He 
stealthily  reached  over  to  where  I  was  lying,  and  took 
my  gun,  which  was  beside  me,  loaded,  and  shot  both  the 
sheldrake  at  one  discharge.  The  noise,  of  course,  roused 
us  all  up,  and  we  at  once  commenced  preparations  for 
the  day. 

The  implements  used  by  the  Indians  for  catching  sal- 
mon were  a  hook  and  a  spear.  The  former  is  in  size 
as  large  as  a  shark-hook,  having  a  socket  at  one  end 
formed  of  wood.  These  hooks  are  made  by  the  Indians 
from  files  and  rasps,  which  they  purchase  of  the  traders, 
and  are  forged  into  shape  with  ingenuity  and  skill.  The 
socket  is  made  from  the  wild  raspberry  bush  (Rubus 
spectablis),  which,  having  a  pith  in  its  centre,  is  easily 
worked,  and  is  very  strong.  This  socket  is  formed  of 
two  parts,  which  are  firmly  secured  to  the  hook  by  means 
of  twine,  and  the  whole  covered  with  a  coat  of  pitch. 
Attached  to  this  hook  is  a  strong  cord  about  three  feet 
long.  A  staff  or  pole  from  eighteen  to  twenty  feet  long, 
made  of  fir,  is  used,  one  end  of  which  is  fitted  to  the 
socket  in  the  hook,  into  which  it  is  thrust-  and  the  cord 
firmly  tied  to  the  pole.  When  the  hook  is  fastened  into 
a  salmon  it  slips  off  the  pole,  and  the  fish  is  held  by  the 
cord,  which  enables  it  to  perform  its  antics  without  break- 
ing the  staff,  which  it  would  be  sure  to  do  if  the  hook 
was  firmly  fastened.     The  spear  is  a  flat  piece  of  iron 


t 

i 


aSAL  8PEAR 


8ALH0H 
UOOK. 


(   !j»  1| 


hrn 


■^  r 


'.    :.L 


7^    *  Jl 


rj' 


;i%, 


THREE  YEARS  AT  SHOAL-WATER  BAY. 


41 


)  4 


with  barbs  made  of  elk  horn,  and  fastened  in  the  same 
manner  as  the  socket  to  the  hook.     This  spear-head  has 

so  a  hnc  attached  to  it,  which  is  fastened  to  the  staff  in 
a  similar  manner  as  the  hook  is.  The  spear  is  general- 
ly used  in  shallow  water,  and  the  hook  in  deep  water  at 
the  mouth  of  rivers,  before  the  fish  run  up  the  streams. 

Although  the  river  was  filled  with  salmon,  and  the 
banks  literally  piled  with  the  dead  fiah  killed  in  attempt- 
ing to  go  over  the  falls,  yet,  the  season  being  so  far  ad- 
vanced, there  were  comparatively  few  really  prime  ones. 
The  salmon,  after  casting  its  spawn,  grows  thin,  and  the 
flesh  loses  its  bright  pink  color.     The  fish  then  is  of  lit- 
tle value  either  to  the  whites  or  Indians.     Our  Indians, 
who  were  well  skilled,  started  up  stream  to  commence, 
as  their  custom  always  is  to  go  up  the  stream,  and  then, 
letting  the  canoe  float  down,  catch  the  fish  as  tliey  pass. 
As  the  tide  fell,  the  Indians  left  their  canoes  and  waded 
in  the  stream.     We  joined  them,  and  such  a  splashing 
and  dashing  I  never  before  witnessed.     I  caught  seven 
and  Russell  about  as  raany,  wlien,  getting  tired  and  thor- 
oughly wet,  we  went  back  to  the  camp,  and  amused  our- 
selves shooting  ducks.     When  the  Indians  were  tired, 
tliey  came  in,  having  been  about  four  hours  at  work,  and 
during  that  time  succeeded  in  killing  over  a  hundred  fine 
salmon.     After  we  had  eaten  oiir  dinners  we  started  up 
the  stream  to  see  the  falls,  which  were  a  few  miles  dis- 
tant.    We  found  this  rather  a  rough  job,  a^  the  bed  of 
the  river  was  full  of  fallen  trees,  old  logs,  and  rocks.    As 
we  approached  the  falls,  we  had  to  clamber  up  the  steep 
sides  of  the  banks,  which  were  covered  with  a  growth  of 
shrubbery  similar  in  appearance  to  sumach,  and  having 
its  stems  covered  with  sharp  thorns,  which  readily  pierce 
the  flesh,  and  sting  like  nettles.     The  name  gi/en  to  this 
most  villainous  shrub  is  the  Devil's  walking-stick.     Be- 
fore we  got  into  a  position  to  see  the  falls,  -^'e  had  both 


rill 


''1 

,''4 


/'I 


.  n 


r    If- 


M 

0 

B*!    ,■  5 

'fi** 

li'-^l 

'-  \^' 

'    -t/ 

ifJl^ 

-l: 

W9. 

m 

m 

43 


THE  NORTHWEST  COAST;   OR, 


received  several  tumbles  and  got  our  hands  full  of  the 
prickles.  However,  we  felt  repaid  for  our  trouble.  The 
falls  are  a  succession  of  cataracts  from  ten  to  twenty  feet 
high,  and  the  whole  fall  of  the  river  is  some  two  hund- 
red feet.  Although  there  was  not  much  water,  the 
scene  was  fine,  and,  could  it  be  viewed  when  the  river 
was  full,  mast  be  magnificent.  We  did  not  remain  long, 
but  scrambled  back  to  camp,  where  we  arrived  just  in 
time  for  supper.  It  was  our  intention  to  have  remained 
several  days,  but  the  Indians,  from  some  superstitious 
ideas,  refused  to  fish  any  more. 

One  of  their  superstitions  is  that  the  spirits  of  the 
dead  are  always  hovering  about  the  homes  they  left  on 
earth,  and  when  they  are  displeased  with  any  of  the  do- 
ings of  their  relatives  or  friends,  they  make  known  their 
presence  in  various  ways ;  and  when  the  Indian  thinks 
there  are  any  of  the  "  dead  people"  about,  he  wiM,  if  away 
from  his  home,  leave  the  place  he  may  be  at,  or,  if  in  his 
own  house,  will  take  measures  to  drive  off  the  spirit,  ei- 
ther by  firing  a  gun  or  getting  the  medicine-man  to  work 
spells.  Our  Indians,  it  appeared,  had  heard  the  whis- 
tling of  a  plover  the  previous  night,  which  I  had  also 
heard.  They  said  it  was  a  dead  person.  Eussell  told 
them  it  was  a  bird.  No,  said  they,  birds  don't  talk  in 
the  night ;  they  talk  in  the  daytime.  But,  asked  Rus- 
sell, how  can  you  tell  that  it  is  the  "memelose  tillicums," 
or  dead  people  ?  They  can't  talk.  No,  repliec'  the  sav- 
age, it  is  true,  they  can't  talk  as  we  do,  but  they  whistle 
through  their  teeth.  You  are  a  white  man,  and  don't 
understand  what  they  say ;  but  Indians  know,  and  they 
told  us  not  to  catch  any  more  salmon,  and  we  are  afraid, 
and  must  go  back  to-morrow. 

And,  sure  enough,  they  did  get  ready  in  the  morning, 
and  no  promises  of  reward  that  Russell  offered  them 
would  induce  them  to  stop  one  minute  after  we  had  done 
eating  breakfast. 


w 


THREE  YEAKS  AT  SHOAL-WATER   BAY. 


43 


As  we  proceeded  down  the  river  on  our  homeward 
course,  we  startled  myriads  of  wild  fowl,  and  had  some 
fine  shooting.  The  Palux  River,  from  the  junction  of 
its  three  forks  to  its  mouth,  some  eight  or  ten  miles,  runs 
through  fine  prairie  land  and  marshes  covered  with  lux- 
uriant grass,  furnishing  excellent  grazing  for  stock.  Ves- 
sels of  four  or  five  hundred  tons  burden,  and  drawing 
eighteen  feet  of  water,  can  proceed  up  the  river  two  or 
three  miles,  and  find  every  facility  for  loading  timber, 
which  is  very  easily  and  readily  procured  on  the  banks 
or  up  the  various  creeks  and  small  streams  emptying  into 
the  main  river. 

We  reached  Russell's  house  about  noon,  and,  after  hav- 
ing had  our  fish  cleaned,  we  salted  and  packed  them  in 
barrels. 


CHAPTER  IV. 

Wreck  of  the  Willemantic. — Joe  the  Steward  and  his  cnny  Stews.— 
Climate  of  the  Pacific. — Causes  of  the  Mildness  of  Temperature. — 
Quantities  of  Rain. — Early  Spring. — Method  of  learning  the  Indian 
Language. — Captain  Purrington  clearing  Land. — Immense  Trees. — 
Indians'  Small-pox. — Indians  die. — Russell  sick. — Tomhays  sick. — 
Queaquim  dies. — Solemn  Scene. 

The  brig  sailed  for  San  Francisco  shortly  after  this, 
and  Russell  being  obliged  to  leave  for  Astoria  on  busi- 
ness, I  remained  alone  in  charge  of  the  house  and  store, 
with  no  companion  but  the  family  of  Indians. 

I  did  not  remain  so  long,  for  the  schooner  Willeman- 
tic having  been  wrecked  in  Gray's  Harbor,  eighteen 
miles  north  of  us,  we  received  her  crew,  who  were  divided 
round  among  the  settlers.  Captain  Vail,  her  owner, 
with  the  mate  and  crew,  went  down  the  beach  with  the 
different  residents ;  Joe,  the  steward,  came  and  stopped 
with  me.     Joe  was  a  Dane,  but  had  lived  some  years  at 


J' 


>:     i 


^ 


"  P      V  t 


m 


■:S  '  '   M 


■    'f 


iM 


7'   & 


\i 


-kM 


^  ■   'i 


44 


THE  NORTHWEST  COAST;   OR, 


iji 

1' 

i 

I 

:| 

\ 

■:l 

Sumatra,  where  ho  had  learned  to  bo  an  excellent  cook, 
and  was  particularly  fond  of  curry,  whicli  he  could  pre- 
pare to  perfection ;  and  when  he  left  the  wreck,  he  man- 
aged to  save  his  bottle  of  curry,  which  enabled  us  to  have 
many  a  savory  mess :  curried  ducks  or  geese,  venison, 
bear  meat,  oysters,  or  lish ;  and  when  these  failed,  he 
would  got  up  a  dish  of  curried  beans ;  every  thing  but 
our  coffee  or  bread  was  sure  to  be  seasoned  with  curry. 
However,  Joe  was  a  capital  fellow,  full  of  his  sea  yarns, 
and,  what  with  his  curries  and  stories,  we  managed  to 
pass  off  the  short  days  and  long  nights  very  pleasantly. 

There  had  been  a  full  of  snow,  although  the  weather 
was  not  very  cold,  and  we  amused  ourselves  in  making 
paths.  The  climate  is  very  mild,  and  never  so  cold  as 
in  the  same  parallel  of  latitude  on  the  Atlantic  coast. 
Til  is  is  a  fact  noticed  by  all  the  writers  on  the  Pacific 
and  Northwest  Coasts  that  I  have  seen.  Ross  Cox,  who 
was  employed  by  the  Fur  Company  at  Astoria,  writes 
that  "  the  climate  on  the  Columbia  River,  from  its  mouth 
to  the  rapids,  is  mild.  The  mercury  seldom  falls  below 
the  freezing  point,  and  never  rises  above  80°.  Wester 
ly  winds  prevail  during  the  spring  and  summer  months, 
and  are  succeeded  by  northwesters,  which  blow  pretty 
freshly  during  the  autumn ;  October  ushers  in  the  south 
wind  and  the  rain,  both  of  which  continue  without  inter- 
mission till  January,  when  the  wind  begins  to  bear  to 
the  westward ;  but  the  rain  seldom  ceases  till  the  termi- 
nation of  April." 

In  Greenhow's  *'  History  of  Oregon  and  California," 
he  remarks,  '*  The  countries  on  the  Pacific  side  of  North 
America  differ  materially  in  climate  from  those  east  of 
the  great  dividing  range  of  mountains  situated  in  the 
same  latitudes,  and  at  equal  distances  from  and  eleva- 
tions above  the  ocean.  These  differences  are  less  within 
the  torrid  zone,  and  beyond  the  60th  parallel;  but  in 


'niHLE   YEAK8   AT   BHOAL-WATER   HAY. 


45 


tlio  intermediate  space,  every  part  of  the  PacKic  section 
is  much  wanner  and  drier  than  placcH  in  the  Atlantic  or 
Arctic  sections  under  tlie  same  conditions  as  above  ex- 
pressed. Thus  the  northwesternmost  regions  of  Amer- 
ica appear  to  bo  as  cold,  and  to  receive  as  much  rain  and 
snow  from  the  heavens,  as  those  surrounding  Bafiin^s 
Bay,  or  those  in  their  own  immediate  vicinity  in  Asia. 
But  in  tlie  countries  on  the  Pacific  side,  corresponding 
in  latitude  and  other  respects  with  Wisconsin,  Canada, 
Nova  Scotia,  and  Newfoundland,  the  ground  is  rarely 
covered  with  snow  for  more  than  three  or  four  weeks  in 
each  year,  and  it  often  remains  unfrozen  throughout  the 
winter." 

Mr.  Lorin  Blodget,  in  a  letter  to  the  National  Intel- 
ligencer, published  about  the  first  of  January,  1857,  says 
of  the  climate  on  the  Pacific  coast : 

"Not  only  the  extreme  limit  at  the  49th  parallel  is 
warmer  than  Washington  for  the  winter,  but  a  distance 
like  that  from  Paris  to  Aberdeen  must  be  passed  over, 
beyond  the  extretne  limit  at  the  north  of  Puget^s  Sounds 
to  find  a  winter  as  cold  as  that  of  this  city,  Washington. 
The  winter  at  Puget's  Sound  is  warmer  than  at  Paris, 
the  mean  being  69^°  at  the  first,  and  38°  at  Paris ;  and 
the  winter  at  Sitka  is  warmer  than  that  at  Washington 
(30^°  and  36°  respectively),  notwithstanding  they  differ 
18  degrees  of  latitude,,  or  nearly  1250  miles,  in  position 
on  the  meridians.  'Aberdeen,  in  Scotland,  is  somewhat 
waraier,  having  a  winter  temperature  of  39°,  though  at 
the  57th  parallel." 

Again :  "A:  Washington  we  were  taught  by  the  ex- 
perience of  las:  winter — and  the  opening  of  the  present 
winter  repeated  the  lesson — that  the  rivers  and  naviga- 
ble waters  here  may  be  closed  by  ice  for  months  in  suc- 
cession. Vegetation  is  dormant  for  several  months,  and 
in  this  respect  the  condition  is  practically  similar  from 


^A 


\ 


i.E 


L 


..    tii\ 


r'[ 


Hi 


I' 'I 


46 


THE  NORTHWEST  COAST;   OR, 


h  H 


New  York  to  the  north  of  Georgia.  This  city  is  near 
the  30th  parallel,  and  San  Francisco  is  nearly  at  the 
38th ;  yet,  at  this  last-named  city,  it  was  remarked  as 
singular  that  roses  and  flowers  were  cut  off  temporarily, 
as  they  were  in  the  early  part  of  the  last  winter,  though 
they  subsequently  recovered  their  freshness ;  and  through 
February  and  March  the  temperature  was  as  soft  as  that 
of  the  south  shores  of  the  Mediterranean.  At  Puget*s 
Sound,  in  Washington  Territory,  ten  degrees  of  latitude 
farther  north,  the  winter  was  still  mild  and  open,  and  the 
grass  in  constant  growth.  Continuing  along  this  course 
to  Sitka,  ten  degrees  of  latitude  still  farther  north,  it  was 
yet,  doubtless,  much  warmer  than  at  Washington,  since 
the  average  for  the  winter  is  warmer,  and  the  changes  in 
extreme  years  are  there  very  far  less." 

My  own  experience  goes  to  prove  the  truth  of  the  fore- 
going remarks,  and  the  cause  of  this  mildness  is  to  be 
attributed  to  the  fact  mentioned  by  Cox,  that  the  wind 
blows  almost  invariably  from  the  ocean.  During  the 
winter  months  the  wind  is  generally  from  the  south  to 
the  southeast,  veering  at  times  to  the  southwest.  These 
winds,  blowing  from  the  tropics,  bring  with  them  warm 
rains,  and  it  is  only  during  the  winter  season  that  thun- 
der and  lightning  accompany  the  rain,  and  these  only 
during  the  most  violent  storms.  The  only  severe  cold 
is  felt  when  the  wind  blows  from  the  northeast,  and 
whenever  it  gets  in  that  quarter  the  effects  are  precisely 
the  same  as  the  northwest  winds  in  the  Atlantic  states ; 
but  I  have  never  known  excessive  cold  weather  to  con- 
tinue longer  than  twelve  or  fourteen  days,  when  the  wind 
will  return  to  the  south,  and  a  warm  rain  brings  on  a 
general  thaw. 

It  is  these  facts  with  respect  to  the  climate  that  make 
a  residence  in  either  Oregon  or  Washington  Territories 
80  desirable ;  and  the  remarkable  fact  should  not  be  lost 


li 


THREE   YEARS   AT   SHOAL-WATER  BAY. 


47 


sight  of,  that,  although  Washington  Territory  is  in  the 
same  latitude  as  Nova  Scotia,  yet  the  climate  is  as  mild 
in  winter  as  Pennsylvania,  nor  is  the  heat  of  summer  so 
oppressive  as  in  the  same  parallel  east  of  the  Rocky 
Mountains.  I  have  seen  the  thermometer,  during  the 
hottest  day  I  ever  felt  at  Shoal-water  Bay,  reach  95°, 
but  it  was  but  for  a  few  hours,  and,  as  Cox  remarks,  it 
rarely  exceeds  80°.  During  the  winter  the  rain  falls  in 
the  most  incredible  quantities,  but  it  does  not,  as  has 
been  asserted,  rain  without  intermission.  A  storm  will 
commence  which  will  last  a  week,  some  days  raining 
violently,  and  accompanied  with  heavy  gales  of  wind. 
These  blows  will  last  perhaps  twenty -four  or  forty- 


SAtMON-BKBBT,  OB  WILD  RABrBXHXT  {RubUB  tptCUMit). 


■     *( 


,    ^!* 


■i% 


.^-•^t  1^ 


•t 


Hi  k 


:  iiii!;  ii! 


m 


48 


THE   NORTHWEST   COAST;    OB, 


mm 


. 

■  1 

,; 

1 

;    ;i 

{ 

i 

{'! 

■  ;|   ,  i 

■ 

;  il 

1 

■'  t' 

'.  1 

::! 

'!i!i; 


eight  hours,  when  it  will  lull,  and  the  rain  subside  into 
a  gentle  shower,  or  mere  mist  and  fog ;  then  perliaps  it 
will  clear  off,  witli  eight  or  ten  days  of  line,  clear  weather. 
The  spring  commences  much  earlier  also ;  and  I  may- 
mention  at  this  time,  in  evidence,  that  on  the  10th  day 
of  March,  1853,  while  making  a  botanical  collection,  I 
gathered  the  blossoms  of  the  wild  raspberry  (Rubus 
spectablis),  the  fruit  of  wliich  is  ripe  in  June,  the  wild 
strawberry,  the  Trillium  (Dikentra  formosa),  and  various 
other  small  flowers ;  while  in  the  month  of  my  arrival, 
December,  1852, 1  collected  and  preserved  the  blossoms 
of  the  Sallal  (Gaultheria  Shallon). 


{OauUheria  ShaUm). 


'11 


THREE  YEARS  AT  SHOAL-"WATER  BAY. 


49 


,'•  ^f  *^ 


I .,  ■' 


What  part  of  the  country  east  of  the  Rocky  Mount- 
ains, in  the  latitude  of  46°  north,  can  be  shown  where 
flowers  bloom  from  March  to  December  ?  But  to  return 
from  this  digression.  As  I  had  not  much  to  amuse  my- 
self with,  and  being  desirous  of  learning  the  Indian  lan- 
guage, I  went  frequently  to  the  lodge  to  learn  to  talk. 
There  were  several  young  men  and  boys  who  aided  me, 
and,  in  particular,  one  named  Cherquel  Sha,  and  by  the 
whites  called  George,  who  had  been  employed  for  a  long 
time  in  a  small  steamer  on  the  Columbia,  and  could  talk 
English  pretty  well.  George  was  very  sick,  and  had 
often  come  to  me  for  medicines,  and  had  formed  a  great 
friendship  for  me.  He  would  sit  by  the  hour,  either  in 
the  lodge  or  at  the  house,  repeating  words  which  I  would 
write  down  to  enable  me  to  remember  the:  I  found 
at  first  the  Indians  were  inclined  to  tell  me  ^\  ng,  but  I 
adopted  a  plan  which  proved  effectual  to  ena  3  me  to 
get  correct  information,  which  was  this :  I  would  repeat 
the  word  slowly  until  I  had  a  correct  idea  of  the  sound, 
then  would  write  the  word  so  that  when  any  other  white 
man  saw  it  he  could  pronounce  it  and  produce  the  same 
sound.  Thus  I  knew  that  I  had  correctly  spelled  the 
word.  Then  I  would  at  some  other  time  pronounce  the 
word  to  a  dift'erent  Indian,  and  ask  him  what  it  meant, 
when,  if  he  explained  it  as  the  first  one  had.  I  knew  my 
spelling  and  explanation  were  correct.  By  this  method 
I  soon  obtained  a  vocabulary  which  enabled  me  to  con- 
verse readily  with  them.  These  Indians  were  of  the 
Chenook  tribe,  although  some  of  them  belonged  to  the 
Chehalis  tribe,  on  Gray's  Harbor ;  consequently  they 
talked  either  language  fluently.  I  shall  refer  in  another 
chapter  more  fully  to  the  tribes  of  Shoal-water  Bay. 

Russell,  after  an  absence  of  a  few  weeks,  returned, 
bringing  with  him  Captain  James  S.  Purrington,  for- 
merly master  of  a  whale-ship,  and  who,  for  forty  years, 

C 


■Is 


^'  '■  :^fl 


n 


••I  'i'; 
ii'- 


f 

' 

.#■■ 

■     1       .'rf 

... 

m 

#    r,u 


60 


THE  NORTHWEST   COAST;   OR, 


I' 


had  been  engaged  in  the  whaling  business.  Captain 
Purrington  had  been  at  work  on  the  Columbia,  and  had 
lost  all  his  labor  by  two  successive  freshets,  and  he  con- 
cluded to  try  his  hand  in  Slioal-water  Bay.  Russell 
was  desirous  of  making  a  garden,  and  we  all  went  to 
work  clearing  up  a  spot  near  the  house.  This  was  not 
so  easy  a  task  as  might  be  imagined.  The  proposed 
garden  was  occupied  by  some  thivty  or  more  immense 
spruce-trees,  from  six  to  eight  feet  in  diameter,  and  over 
a  hundred  feet  high. 

These  immense  trees,  falling  froixi  time  to  time,  make 
a  walk  through  the  forest  very  difficult,  and  at  times 
dangerous.  I  was  out  one  day  with  Captain  Purring- 
ton, a  few  months  afterward,  to  examine  a  piece  of  land 
on  our  claim,  when  we  came  to  an  open  space  appar- 
ently quite  level,  and  covered  with  dead  wood,  moss, 
and  a  fine  growth  of  raspberry  bushes  laden  with  fruit. 
While  we  were  engaged  picking  and  eating  the  berries, 
all  at  once  the  captain  disappeared.  I  calhd  out  for 
him,  and  directly  heard  a  faint  halloo,  as  I  thought,  under 
ground.  Directly  after,  down  I  went,  and  then  found 
that  the  place  was  a  small  ravine  about  thirty  feet  deep, 
over  which  the  trees  had  fallen  in  every  direction  so  as 
to  completely  cover  it  over,  and  these,  in  tb.eir  turn,  had 
been  covered  over  by  an  accumulation  of  limbs,  branch- 
es, moss,  and  at  last  by  the  bushes.  The  falling  of  the 
trees  had  been  evidently  caused  by  some  whirlwind  years 
previous.  I  asked  the  captain  if  he  was  huii,  "No," 
said  he,  "  I  came  down  as  easy  as  if  I  had  lit  on  a  feath- 
er bed ;  but  if  you  have  a  match  about  you,  pass  it  to 
me,  and  I  will  soon  let  daylight  into  this  heap.  I  don't 
like  the  idea  of  burning  up  all  those  nice  berries,  but  I 
have  a  great  curiosity  to  see  how  this  place  will  look 
when  it  is  cleared  up."  The  old  man  soon  kindled  a 
blaze,  which  very  materially  altered  the  appearance  of 


^: 


'h; 


».«t 


V    iv 


.>-"!.. 


m 


r 

I 

f 

THREE  YEARS  AT  SHOAL-WATER   BAY. 


53 


the  face  of  the  country  before  it  was  put  out  by  the  rain. 
We  were  fortunate  in  escaping  without  injury ;  but  the 
experience  was  useful,  for,  in  our  future  explorations,  we 
were  more  careful  where  we  went. 

l-^he  enormous  growth  of  the  timbeif  trees  on  the  Pa- 
cific coast,  from  California  to  Hudson's  Bay,  has  often 
been  written  about.  Ross  Cox  writes:  "The  general 
siae  of  the  different  species  of  fir  far  exceeds  any  thing 
east  of  the  Rocky  Mountains,  and  prime  sound  pine 
(spmce)  from  two  hundred  to  two  hundred  and  eighty 
feet  in  height,  and  from  twenty  to  forty  feet  in  circum- 
ference, are  by  no  means  r  ncommon.  A  pine  tree  dis- 
covered in  Umpqua  county,  to  the  southeast  of  the  Co- 
lumbia, measured  two  hundred  and  sixteen  feet  to  its 
lowest  branch,  and  in  circumference  fifty-seven  feet." 

Ross  Cox  speaks  of  these  trees  as  pine,  but  he  is  mis- 
KiKen ;  for,  with  the  exception  of  a  scrubby  growth  of 
the  Pinus  palustrs,  found  directly  on  the  sea-coast,  I 
have  never  seen  a  specimen  of  pine  from  the  Columbia  to 
Fuca  Strait.  The  tin  '  er  is  white  and  yellow  spruce, 
red,  white,  and  yellow  i. .,  hemlock,  cedar,  and  yew.  Oak 
is  not  found  on  the  immediate  range  of  the  coast,  but  is 
plentiful  on  the  Columbia,  and  in  the  region  of  Puget 
Sound.  A  fine  quality  of  ash  is  also  found  in  those  lo- 
calities. Lewis  and  Clarke,  speaking  of  the  immense 
size  of  the  trees  near  Astoria,  mention  a  fir  two  hundred 
and  thirty  feet  high,  and  one  hundred  and  twenty  feet 
of  that  height  without  a  limb,  and  its  circumference  twen- 
ty-seven feet.  These  trees  are  not  to  be  confounded  with 
the  great  trees  of  California :  they  are  a  distinct  species, 
and  are  known  as  red-wood  trees,  and  the  wood  bears  a 
resemblance  to  Spanish  cedar.  But  the  growth  of  Ore- 
gon and  Washington  is  like  the  spruce,  fir,  and  hemlock 
of  the  State  of  Maine. 

We  soon,  with  the  aid  of  some  of  the  settlers,  made  a 


sr* 


I'/ti 


li  M 


m 


«'!   II 


.||i|:i! 


i"!' ' '!! 


m 


m 


54 


THE  NORTHWEST  COAST;   OR, 


havoc  among  the  trees,  and  in  a  few  days  most  of  them 
were  cut  down.  News  now  came  that  several  vessels 
had  been  wrecked  on  the  coast,  north  of  Cape  Disap- 
pointment, and  Russell  and  the  captain,  with  several  oth- 
ers, started  off  ta  render  assistance,  leaving  Joe  and  my- 
self onc'j  more  to  make  and  eat  curry  stews.  It  is  one 
thing  to  cut  down  a  big  tree,  and  quite  another  to  clear 
it  away ;  but,  by  the  time  Russell  returned,  we,  with  the 
help  of  the  Indians,  had  cleared  away  all  the  branches, 
leaving  the  trunks  of  the  trees  ready  for  the  saw.  The 
wrecking  party  was  absent  a  week,  and  brought,  on  their 
return,  a  quantity  of  boards  from  the  wrecks,  which  were 
much  needed,  as  at  that  time  there  were  no  saw-mills 
in  the  Bay,  They  reported  that  the  small -pox  had 
broken  out  at  Clatsop,  south  of  the  Columbia,  Russell 
was  in  great  fear  lest  the  Indians  should  bring  the  dis- 
ease over  to  Shoal-water  Bay,  and  remarked  that  if  he 
thought  it  would  come,  he  would  at  once  leave  for  San 
Francisco,  for  he  dreaded  the  small-pox  more  than  any 
other  complaint,  although  he  had  been  vaccinated. 

Joe  and  the  captain  now  went  to  work  to  cut  the  trees 
into  logs,  which  we  then  blew  open  with  powder,  and 
then  with  beetle  and  wedges  reduced  the  blocks  small 
enough  to  handle,  and  then  piled  them  round  the  stumps 
and  set  fire  to  them.  We  usually  kept  these  fires  going 
ail  night,  and  the  light  these  tremendous  bonfires  made 
could  be  seen  for  miles.  The  Indians  enjoyed  the  fun 
of  piling  on  logs  and  making  a  blaze,  and  every  evening 
were  sure  to  gather  round  and  have  a  frolic.  We  had 
two  young  Indians,  brothers,  working  for  us,  .He-yal-ma 
and  Que-a-quim^  funny,  lively  fellows,  alwajs  in  good 
nature,  and  the  smartest  and  best  Indians  I  over  saw. 
Que-a-quim,  tlie  younger,  was  a  great  favorite  ;vith  us 
all,  and,  when  we  had  a  gang  of  Indians  at  work,  oould 
always,  by  his  pranks  and  fun,  keep  them  pleasant. 


m 


^'t}m 


THREE   YEAUa   AT   SHOAL-WATER   BAY. 


65 


This  young  fellow  took  delight  in  perching  himself  on  a 
log  every  night  near  the  fire,  and,  pointing  out  the  differ- 
ent constellations  in  the  starry  heavens,  would  tell  me 
the  legendary  tales  of  their  mythological  belief  At  such 
times  his  demeanor  was  entirely  changed,  and,  gazing 
upward  with  a  wild  and  excited  look,  would  impart  his 
information  in  an  earnest  and  solemn  manner,  that  showed 
how  deeply  he  was  interested  in  his  subject. 

The  winter  was  now  wearing  away,  and  the  snow  had 
all  disappeared,  although  January  had  not  quite  gone,  and 
every  pleasant  day  the  sun  shone  out  warm  and  bright, 
giving  token  of  an  early  spring.  While  we  were  thus 
engaged  in  clearing  up  land  and  burning  trees,  a  party  of 
Indians  from  Chenook  arrived,  consisting  of  old  Carcum- 
cum  (sister  of  the  celebrated  Comcomly,  the  Chenook 
chief  mentioned  in  Irving's  Astoria,  and  also  by  Ross 
Cox),  and  her  son  Ellewa,  the  present  chief  of  the  Che- 
nooks,  with  his  wife  and  two  or  three  slaves.  They 
made  a  camp  on  the  beach  near  the  house,  where  they 
lived  under  a  little  old  tent.  They  had  been  to  the 
wrecks,  and  among  other  things  found  was  an  India- 
rubber  pillow,  whicli  Eil^wa  had  filled  with  some  kind 
of  spirits  he  had  also  procured  at  the  same  place.  He 
and  his  squaw,  Winchestoh,  managed  to  keep  drunk 
for  three  or  four  days,  when,  their  liquor  giving  out, 
they  were  obliged  to  get  sober.  As  it  commenced  to 
rain,  they  were  very  miserable,  and  Ellewa  requested 
Russell  to  allow  the  squaw  to  lie  down  by  the  fire  in  the 
house,  which  he  did,  and  the  same  day  Ellewa,  with  old 
Carcumcum,  returned  to  Chenook.  At  supper-time  I 
gave  the  squaw  some  tea  and  toast,  and  remarked  that 
her  face  and  neck  were  covered  with  little  spots  like  flea- 
bites.  I  said  to  Russell,  "  This  woman  has  either  got 
the  small-pox  or  measles."  "Oh I"  said  he,  "don't 
say  that,  for  I  would  never  have  had  her  in  the  house 


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56 


THE   NORTHWEST  COAST;    OR, 


if  I  suspected  any  such  thing."  "Well,"  said  I,  "we 
shall  sec." 

Soon  after  supper  I  went  to  bed,  as  did  Joe  and  the 
captain,  leaving  Russell  writing.  About  nine  o'clock  he 
called  me  to  come  down,  for  he  thought  the  woman  was 
dying ;  and,  sure  enough,  when  I  got  down  stairs  she 
was  entirely  dead.  We  laid  her  in  the  store,  and  the 
next  morning  the  captain  and  Joe  made  her  a  coffin,  and 
after  we  had  put  her  in  we  carried  her  about  five  hund- 
red rods  from  the  house,  and,  having  dug  a  grave,  buried 
her  in  a  Christian  manner. 

Some  ten  or  twelve  days  after  this  Bussell  was  taken 
with  a  violent  pain  in  his  head  and  back,  and  had  to 
take  to  his  bed.  Joe  and  the  captain  also  were  attack- 
ed, but  very  slightly,  however.  They  all  attributed  their 
sickness  to  severe  colds,  but  I  knew  that  in  Russell's 
case  it  was  something  more  serious.  I  did  not  dare  tell 
him,  as  I  knew  it  would  only  frighten  him ;  nor  did  I  dare 
tell  my  fears  either  to  the  captain  or  Joe,  or  any  of  the 
other  settlers ;  there  was  such  a  panic  in  the  minds  of 
all,  that  I  knew  the  bare  mention  of  small-pox  would 
drive  them  all  away  from  the  house,  if  not  from  the  Bay. 
I  could  not  leave,  as  there  was  no  vessel  in  the  Bay  at 
the  time,  nor  would  I  leave  during  his  illness,  although 
I  could  easily  have  gone  to  Astoria ;  so  I  made  up  my 
mind  to  do  what  I  could  and  keep  my  own  counsel,  which 
I  did  so  effectually  that  Russell  did  not  know  what  was 
the  matter  till  the  fever  had  passed  and  he  was  nearly 
blind,  and  the  captain  and  Joe  did  not  know  what  ailed 
him^till  he  was  nearly  well  and  all  danger  had  passed. 
Joe  was  so  scared  that  he  ran  off  the  same  day,  but  the 
old  man  complimented  me  on  my  caution,  and  said  that 
he  could  then  account  for  the  violent  attack  he  had  ex- 
perienced, and  which  he  thought  was  a  severe  cold. 

As  soon  as  Russell  was  able,  he  went  to  San  Francis- 


THREE   YEARS   AT   SHOAL-WATER   BAY. 


57 


•1 


CO,  leaving  mo  in  charge  of  his  affairs.  His  cousin,  Wal- 
ter Lynde,  had  insisted  on  seeing  him  while  he  was  sick, 
and  he  was  taken  next,  and  I  nursed  him  through,  but 
his  attack  was  very  slight. 

Several  cases  occurred  among  the  other  settlers,  but 
mostly  Indians  in  their  employ,  and  several  of  the  In- 
dians died.  I  thought  my  hospital  duties  were  at  an 
end,  but  the  hardest  case  was  yet  to  come  off.  Poor 
Quc-a-quim  was  taken  with  the  unmistakable  symptoms, 
and,  rather  than  have  him  in  the  lodge  with  the  other  In- 
dians, where  I  was  afraid  the  infection  would  spread,  I 
had  him  brought  over  and  placed  in  a  comfortable  posi- 
tion in  the  chamber  near  my  bed,  where  the  captain  and 
myself  did  all  we  could  to  make  him  easy.  During  his 
sickness,  old  Cartumhays,  whose  wife  had  just  died  of 
the  small-pox,  sent  for  me  to  go  to  his  house  on  the  Pa- 
lux,  as  he  had  the  same  complaint.  I  accordingly  went, 
and  found  the  old  fellow  in  his  bed  making  great  lament- 
ations. After  a  little  time  he  pulled  out  from  a  chest  a 
package  of  about  a  dozen  different  kinds  of  medicine, 
that  he  had  either  begged,  borrowed,  or,  more  probably, 
stolen.  He  said  he  was  very  sick,  and  wished  me  to 
help  him. 

Judging,  however,  from  the  presence  of  five  or  six 
empty  whisky  bottles  that  his  complaint  was  not  a  very 
dangerous  one,  I  recommended  him  a  dose  of  salts,  to  be 
followed  up  with  half  a  cupful  of  sulphur  and  molasses, 
to  be  taken  instead  of  preserves  or  sweetmeats.  The 
prescription  in  his  case  was  happily  effective,  and  in  two 
days  he  was  well. 

Poor  Que-a-quim,  however,  grew  worse.  He  had,  be- 
sides the  small-pox,  an  affection  of  his  liver,  which  had 
troubled  him  a  long  time.  He  knew  he  should  die,  and 
told  me  so.  His  brother,  to  whom  I  told  this,  remark- 
ed, "Well,  if  he  wants  to  die,  he  will  die."     He  then 

C2 


%. 


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F 


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58 


THE   NOUTinVKHT   COAHT ;    OK, 


I  "■■?'■ 


brought  into  the  house,  from  the  lodge,  all  the  little  prop- 
erty of  his  brother,  consisting  of  a  few  shirts,  a  blanket 
or  two,  and  some  few  trinkets,  with  a  re([uest  tiiat  they 
might  be  buried  with  him.  The  day  Que-a-quir,i  died, 
we  felt  satisfied,  from  appearances,  that  such  must  ue  the 
case,  and  the  captain  remarked,  "He  will  die  this  even- 
ing at  high  water ;"  and  at  nine  o'clock,  just  as  the  tide 
began  to  ebb,  he  died. 

Now,  then,  was  a  job  before  us.  The  Indians  would 
not  have  any  thing  to  do  with  the  body,  nor  would  we 
let  them,  for  fear  of  their  taking  the  infection,  neither 
did  we  feel  disposed  to  remain  all  night  with  the  corpse ; 
so  the  captain  procured  a  piece  of  old  canvas,  and,  wrap- 
ping the  body  up  in  several  blankets,  taking  care  to  in- 
close all  the  things  which  had  been  brought  in  from  the 
lodge,  the  whole  was  then  sewed  up  in  tiie  canvas,  and 
the  corpse  lashed  on  to  a  board,  and  launched  out  of  the 
chamber  window  by  the  captain,  while  I  received  the 
body  from  below,  and  laid  it  on  a  barrel  till  the  captain 
came  with  a  lantern  and  two  shovels,  when  we  took  up 
the  corpse,  resting  the  board  on  our  shoulders.  Poor 
Que-a-quim !  he  was  not  very  lieavy,  and  we  soon  reach- 
ed the  spot  where  but  a  few  weeks  before  we  had  buried 
the  squaw.  It  did  not  take  us  long  to  dig  a  grave  in 
the  soft  sand,  and  we  soon  laid  him  beside  the  wife  of 
Ellewa. 

*'"We  buried  him  darkly  at  dead  of  night." 

The  little  clock  in  Kussell's  house  struck  twelve  as  we 
closed  the  door  on  our  return. 

The  time,  the  place,  and  the  occasion  gave  rise  to  the 
most  solemn  feelings  ;  neither  of  us  could  speak  a  word. 
But  the  old  captain,  who  had  seen  many  a  scene  of  death, 
and  assisted  often  in  launching  the  bodies  of  his  ship- 
mates into  the  blue  waters  of  the  ocean,  could  not  refrain 
from  shedding  a  tear  to  the  memory  of  the  poor  Indian 


THREE  YEARS  AT  SHOAL-WATER  DAY. 


0» 


lad,  a  tribute  ot  sympathy  in  which  I  most  heartily 
joined.  This  was  the  last  case  of  small-pox  I  was  called 
on  to  attend,  and  I  trust  I  may  not  be  obliged  to  pass 
through  such  another  trial,  feeling  perfectly  satisfied  with 
my  acquaintance  with  that  most  disgusting  and  conta- 
gious disease. 


■if  i*r,»5 


■'i^ 
'f"' 

1 


.  #,  ■ 
I' 


CHAPTER  V. 

Arrival  of  Indian'  from  the  North.-  -Description  of  the  Oysters  and 
Oyster-flBhern  of  Shoal-wator  Bay. — Hospitality  of  eorly  Settlers. — 
Joel  L.  Brown. — Captain  Weldon. — Winter  in  Oregon. 

The  weather  .vas  no./  prop*'  'ous  for  prosecuting  the 
oyster-fishery,  and  hundreds  o  Indians  came  to  the  Bay 
from  Chenook  and  the  tribe;)  at  the  north.  Some  of 
the  Indians  came  ap  x-v:  as  the  ri-;^ion  round  Puget 
Sound.  These  wandjring  beings  begin  to  grow  restless 
when  the  winter  approaches  its  termination,  and,  as  soon 
as  the  wild  geese  make  their  appearance,  the  Indians  are 
ready  to  start  on  a  tramp.  I  do  not  know,  nor  do  I  as- 
sert, that  the  flight  of  the  wild-fowl  and  other  migratory 
birds  is  any  sign  by  which  the  Indian  governs  his  move- 
ments ;  but  I  have  noticed  that  they  generally  commence 
operations  about  the  same  time. 

These  Indians,  during  the  summer  months,  resort  to 
Shoal-waff :  '  >a.y  to  procure  clams  and  crabs  for  their 
own  eating,  and  oysters  to  sell  to  the  whites.  The 
Shoal-water  Bay  oysters  are  different  from  the  oysters 
on  the  Atlantic  coast,  and  very  much  resemble,  in  taste 
avid  appearance,  the  English  Channel  oysters,  having  the 
same  strong,  coppery  taste.  This  is  acquired,  not  from 
any  presence  of  copper,  but  because  they  grow  in  beds 
on  the  mud  flats,  instead  of  growing,  as  the  Atlantic 
oysters,  in  clusters  on  rocks  or  on  a  hard  bottom ;  and 
what  is  called  a  coppery  taste  is  simply  a  strong,  fishy, 


^*  :i 


M  .  'jj 


I;  t ' 


■ri! 


^'ri 


f   .•'  < 


& 


W 


60 


THE  NORTHWEST  COAST;  OR, 


salt-water  flavor,  which,  however,  is  driven  off  hj  cook- 
ing-        , 

These  oysters  are  found  on  the  flats  and  in  shoal  wa- 
ter, in  difierent  parts  of  the  Bay,  and  are  readily  pro- 
cured, either  by  collecting  them  by  hand  at  low  tide, 
when  the  flats  are  bare,  or,  in  the  deeper  water,  by  oys- 
ter-tongs, rakes,  or  dredges.  The  best  method  is  by 
using  the  tongs.  When  the  tide  is  nearly  out,  the  boats 
and  canoes  start  for  the  oyster-beds,  where  they  wait  till 
the  water  is  gone,  when  they  go  to  work  picking  up  by 
hand  into  baskets,  which  are  emptied  into  the  canoes. 
These  hand-picked  oysters  are  the  best,  as  they  are  all 
good ;  those  taken  by  the  tongs,  being  half  shells,  have 
to  be  carried  ashore  and  culled  over,  and  then  put  on  the 
beds.  Each  oysterman  has  a  bed,  which  is  marked  by 
stakes  driven  into  the  flats,  and  can  be  reached  at  any 
time,  either  by  foot  at  low  water,  or  in  boats  at  high 
tide. 

As  the  tide  rises  and  covers  the  flats,  the  boats  and 
canoes  begin  to  creep  ashore ;  and  as  soon  as  they  arrive 
at  the  beach  a  lively  time  ensues,  trading,  measuring,  and 
shoveling  the  oysters,  and  for  an  hour  or  two  all  is  bus- 
tle. This  over,  the  day's  work  is  done,  and  the  Indian 
goes  off  to  eat  and  lounge  away  the  rest  of  the  time  till 
the  next  tide,  and  the  white  settler  to  work  in  his  garden, 
or  do  what  work  is  necessary  to  be  done  round  his  house. 
The  arrival  of  a  schooner  from  San  Francisco  is  a  time 
of  general  excitement,  and  particularly  at  that  early  time 
when  I  first  arrived,  for,  as  we  had  no  opportunity  to 
replenish  our  supplies  except  by  the  schooners,  the  ar- 
rival of  one  was  a  matter  of  moment. 

After  each  one  had  procured  what  few  stores  he  had 
sent  for,  the  day  of  loading  would  be  designated,  and  then 
each  man  exerts  himself  to  the  utmost  to  get  as  many  on 
board  as  he  can.    The  scows,  boats,  and  canoes  are  load- 


'      1 

% 

■M 

I 

THREE  YEARS  AT  SHOAL-WATER  BAY. 


63 


ed  at  low  tide,  and,  as  soon  as  they  float,  they  start  off  for 
the  vessel.  First  come,  first  served,  is  the  motto,  and  a 
bustling  scene  ensues.* 

The  schooners  carry  from  twelve  hundred  to  two  thou- 
sand baskets  of  oysters,  and  some  have  even  taken  four 
thousand  baskets ;  but  it  is  not  considered  safe  to  take  so 
many  at  once,  as  the  bottom  ones  are  apt  to  die  on  the  pas- 
sage. These  vessels  are  loaded  with  great  dispatch ;  and 
often  I  have  known  a  schooner  to  receive  a  load  of  twelve 
hundred  baskets,  the  cargo  all  paid  for,  and  the  schooner 
under  weigh  in  four  hours  from  the  time  she  begins  to 
load.  These  oysters  bring,  on  an  average,  a  dollar  a 
basket  alongside  the  vessel,  and,  as  the  exports  from 
the  Bay  are  about  fifty  thousand  baskets  per  annum, 
which  are  paid  for  in  gold  on  the  spot,  it  can  be  seen 
that  there  is  quite  a  circulation  of  specie  among  the 
hardy  oystermen  of  Slioal-water  Bay.  They  are  not, 
however,  exempt  from  losses,  for  the  year  of  which  I 
write  proved  very  disastrous  to  several  who  had  shipped 
oysters  to  San  Francisco  on  their  own  account.  The 
Bruce  Company,  consisting  of  Messrs.  Winant,  Morgan, 
Hanson,  Milward,  and  Foster,  lost  several  cargoes,  the 
oysters  dying  on  the  passage ;  and  Russell,  and  a  com- 
pany who  reside  in  San  Francisco,  lost  between  them 
some  eight  or  ten  thousand  baskets  of  oysters,  which 
were  destroyed  by  the  skates  and  drum-fish.  While  in 
Shoal-water  Bay,  during  the  winter  of  1853-4,  every  one 
of  us  lost  our  oysters  during  a  heavy  frost  that  lasted 
three  or  four  days. 

The  early  settlers,  whose  names  I  have  already  men- 

*  In  1855  there  were  employed  in  the  oyster  trade  in  the  Bay, 

1  schooner  of  20  tons,  capable  of  carrying    600  baskets  oysters ; 
28  boats,  "  "  2200      "         '  " 

21  scows,     -  "  "  1980 

13  canoes,  «  "  670 


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64 


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!■'■  ■ 

:•■     , 

•v^:          ^ 

I         f 

THE  NORTHWEST  COAST;  OK, 


tioned,  were  some  of  the  most  hospitable  men  that  could 
be  found  in  any  part  of  the  world.  Their  isolated  posi- 
tion, far  from  any  other  settlement  (the  nearest  being  at 
Chenook,  some  forty  miles  distant),  seemed  to  knit  them 
together  in  a  common  bond  of  brotherhood,  and  each 
seemed  to  vie  with  the  other  in  acts  of  kindness  to  every 
stranger  that  might  visit  the  Bay,  either  from  motives  of 
curiosity  or  to  become  permanent  settlers.  As  emigrants 
were  now  coming  in  very  fast,  the  hv  spitality  of  the  wor- 
thy settlers  was  often  put  to  a  severe  test,  and  it  was  not 
till  after  so  many  persons  had  arrived  that  it  was  im- 
possible to  provide  for  them  without  remuneration  that 
these  hardy  pioneers  consented  to  ask  for  pay  from  those 
seeking  for  food  and  lodging. 

Among  these  emigrants  arriving  was  Mr.  Joel  L. 
Brown,  who,  with  a  party,  arrived  in  the  Bay,  and  took  a 
claim  on  the  River  Palux,  where  hv.  intended  erecting  a 
store  for  trading  purposes,  and  formed  a  town.  Mr. 
Brown  and  his  associates  had  cut  a  wagon-road  on  the 
portage,  crossing  from  the  Bay  to  tlie  Columbia  River, 
and  quite  an  interest  was  excited  by  him  among  the 
emigrants  of  Oregon  to  make  Shoal-water  Bay  their 
home.  But,  before  his  plans  were  hardly  commenced,  he 
died  at  his  house  on  the  Palux,  lamented  by  every  one 
with  whom  he  was  acquainted.  Mr.  Brown  was  a  man* 
of  energy  and  perseverance,  and,  had  he  lived,  would 
have  made  a  fine  settlement,  and  undoubtedly  induced  a 
large  emigration.  Some  of  the  persons  who  came  with 
Mr.  Brown  were,  Samuel  Woodward,  Henry  Whitcorab, 
Joel  and  Mark  Bullard,  and  Captain  Jackson.  Mr.  James 
Wilson  and  his  family  settled  at  the  portage,  and  afford- 
ed assistance  to  the  travelers  goi'  j  or  coming  to  the  Bay. 
The  same  season  Captain  Charles  Stewart  arrived,  and 
took  a  claim  at  the  mouth  of  the  Whil-a-pah  River. 
Captain  David  K.  Weldon,  with  his  lady,  also  came  from 


THREE   YEARS   AT   SHOAL-WATER  BAY. 


m 


San  Francisco.  Captain  Weldon  erected  a  fine  house  and 
store  at  the  mouth  of  the  Necomanchee  or  North  Eiv- 
er,  and,  together  with  Mr.  George  Watkins,  erected  the 
first  saw-mill.  Mrs.  Weldon  was  the  first  lady  who  came 
to  the  Bay  to  reside.  The  settlers  now  began  .'o  come 
in  fast ;  but,  as  it  is  only  my  object  to  speak  of  some  of 
the  pioneers,  a  further  mention  of  names  will  be  unnec- 
essary, except  as  they  may  be  used  in  the  course  of  the 
narrative. 

Although  it  has  been  stated  that  the  winters  in  Ore- 
gon and  Washington  are  milder  than  in  the  same  paral- 
lels east  of  the  Rocky  Mountains,  still  it  must  not  be 
supposed  that  a  winter's  residence  ..i  either  territory  is 
attended  with  the  delights  of  a  tropical  climate. 

The  rains  are  very  violent,  and  at  times  are  attended 
with  heavy  gales  from  the  southeast.  From  the  high 
latitude  of  Shoal-water  Bay,  the  days  are  very  short, 
and  but  little  out-door  work  can  be  done,  and  the  settler 
finds  it  a  difficult  task  to  pass  oif  the  long,  stormy  nights, 
unless  with  the  aid  of  books  or  some  useful  in-door  em- 
ployment. At  such  periods  it  is  very  difficult  and  dan- 
gerous to  cross  the  Bay,  and  communication  with  the 
Columbia  is  very  rarely  attempted,  and  it  is  only  the 
direst  necessity  that  will  compel  the  settlers  to  procure 
supplies  from  Astoria ;  consequently,  every  one,  at  the 
time  I  refer  to,  depended  on  the  oyster  schooners  to  bring 
them  up  their  supplies  of  provisions.  The  winter  of 
1852-3  was  a  hard  one  for  the  oystermen.  They  had 
supplied  themselves,  as  they  supposed,  with  sufficient 
provisions  for  the  winter,  but  the  unusual  calls  on  their 
hospitality  from  new-comers  straitened  their  means  so 
that  they  were  reduced  to  pretty  short  allowances ;  but 
they  did  not  complain.  Those  that  had  not  an  abund- 
ance were  cheerfully  supplied  by  those  that  had,  and  as 
there  appeared  to  be  a  sort  of  pride  that  no  stranger 


I', 


;<  ^^\ 


,  ;I^i 


66 


THE   NORTHWEST   COAST;    OE, 


; 


should  suppose  them  in  want,  they  managed  to  change 
and  shift  their  coinnjodities  so  as  to  get  through  the  win- 
ter without  any  difficuily.  It'  one  man  had  a  little  more 
flour  than  h:  mtJed,  he  woul;!  exchange  with  a  neigh- 
]>or  wiio  had  i  ijurj  ras  .  "per!: :  and  another,  who  might 
hcive  aa  extra  barrel  of  be(i,  would  get- a  few  potatoes  or 
onions  from  some  one  else  ;  so  with  rice,  sugar,  molasses, 
coffee,  or  tea.  Nothing  mean  or  niggardly  was  known 
among  theFO  people.  'J'Keir  Iiospitality  was  the  theme 
ot  remark  all  over  the  1\  iritory,  and  the  oyster-boys  of 
Shoal-waicr  Bay  wei?  looked  upon  as  a  community  of 
generous  and  iiobie-hearted  men. 

This  founding  of  an  infant  colony  on  our  extreme 
northwegit  frontier  was  no  lioliday  work,  neither  was  it 
child's  play.  The  emigrant,  come  which  way  he  would, 
either  by  land  or  by  sea,  had  to  endure  much  toil,  priva- 
tion, and  hardship,  and  when  located  in  his  new  home 
had  nothing  but  work,  and  hard  work  at  that,  to  make 
that  new  home  a  comfortable  abode.  When  we  consider 
those  families  who  have  struggled  their  way  over  the 
great  wilderness  of  the  west,  where  every  mile  is  marked 
by  the  grave  of  some  unfortunate  and  perhaps  much-loved 
one— who  have  had  to  endure  the  perils  of  the  hostile 
savage,  of  sickness  or  starvation,  but  yet  have  manfully 
pushed  on,  and  now  have  opened  out  that  beautiful  and 
fertile  region,  which  is  a  common  wealth  to  our  whole 
country,  sliould  we  not  allow  that  they  who  are  but  the 
wards  of  Congress  have  a  right  to  look  lo  that  guardian 
of  our  country  to  bestow  upon  them  its  assistance  with 
no  niggard  hand  ?  The  wealth  of  Oregon  and  Washing- 
ton has  scarce  begun  to  be  developed ;  but  when  the  vast 
importance  of  those  territories  is  appreciated,  it  must  be 
admitted  that  every  dollar  expended  by  the  nation  for 
their  support  or  defense  is  money  well  applied,  and  which 
will  make  a  hundred-fold  return. 


THREE  YEARS  AT  SHOAL-WATER  BAY. 


67 


Early  writers  speak  of  the  beauty  and  fertility  of 
Wasiiington  Territory.  In  1792,  Vancouver,  in  remark- 
ing of  the  country  around  Port  Discovery,  Admiralty 
Inlet,  and  Puget  Sound,  writes : 

"To  describe  the  beauties  of  this  region  will  on  some 
fiiture  occasion  be  a  very  grateful  task  to  the  pen  of  the 
skillful  panegyrist.  The  serenity  of  the  climate,  the  in- 
numerable pleasing  landscapes,  and  the  abundant  fertil- 
ity that  unassisted  nature  puts  forth,  require  only  to 
be  enriched  by  the  industry  of  man  with  villages,  man- 
sions, cottages,  and  other  buildings,  to  render  it  the  most 
lovely  country  that  can  be  imagined,  while  the  labor  of 
the  inhabitants  must  be  rewarded  in  the  bounties  which 
Nature  seems  ready  to  bestow  on  cultivation."  Lewis 
and  Clarke,  Ross  Cox,  and  others,  also  remark  favorably 
upon  the  region.  That  it  is  deatined  ere  long  to  be  of 
vast  importance  to  our  interests  in  the  Pacific  must  be 
apparent  to  the  Tiost  casual  observer. 


'^-^i?^ 


'*1        '  V-1 


,  m 


CHAPTER  VI. 

Stony  Point. — Visit  of  Walter  and  myself  to  the  Memelose  Tttticums,  or 
Dead  People. — Basaltic  Boulders. — Indian  Tradition  respecting  them. 
— Legend  of  the  Doctor  and  his  Brother. — The  Giants  build  a  great 
Fire  to  heat  Stones. — They  boil  out  the  Bay. — The  Doctor  finds  his 
Brother  in  a  Fish's  Belly. — Bear-hunt  on  Stony  Point. — Bartlett  kills 
the  Bear. — Method  of  burying  the  Dead. — We  find  a  Mummy. — Rus- 
sell sends  the  Mummy  to  San  Francisco. — Opinions  of  scientific  Per- 
sons respecting  the  Mummy. — An  instance  of  another  Body  being 
preserved. — I  get  capsized  at  Stony  Point. — ^Take  a  Claim  on  the 
Querquelin  River. — Description  of  the  Claim  and  our  mode  of  Liv- 
ing.— Method  of  Canoe-making. — Seal-catching. — Method  of  catch- 
ing Fish. — Indian  Food. — Description  of  the  Hoots  and  Berries. — Sea 
Otter. — ^River  Otter. — Beaver. — Furs. 

Before  Russell  returned  from  San  Francisco  I  had 
several  walks  with  his  cousin,  Walter  Lynde,  who,  being 


:•  i 


.  :*'i 


68 


THE   NORTHWEST  COAST;   OR, 


'■  ''8 


very  fond  of  collecting  curiosities,  was  always  ready  for 
a  tramp.  One  day  we  took  our  hatchets,  determined  to 
explore  the  heights  of  a  promontory  called  Stony  Point, 
about  an  eighth  of  a  mile  south,  on  which  were  said  to 
be  a  number  of  old  canoes  and  other  Indian  remains. 
The  place  was  considered  sacred,  and  no  Indian  ever 
ventured  there.  Their  usual  superstitious  reverence, 
and  fear  of  any  thing  belonging  to  the  "  memelose  tilli- 
cums,"  or  dead  people,  prevented  their  ever  going  near 
the  spot.  Stony  Point  is  a  narrow  strip  of  land,  or  rath- 
er sandy  clay,  with  a  little  soil  on  the  top,  extending 
into  the  Bay  some  three  or  four  hundred  rods.  It  has 
been  washed  away  by  repeated  storms,  so  that  now  it  is 
not  more  than  ten  rods  wide,  perfectly  precipitous,  with 
an  elevation  of  some  sixty  feet  from  the  water.  It  is 
approached  either  by  a  path  from  the  end  next  the  Bay, 
or  from  its  junction  with  the  main  land.  At  that  time 
it  was  thickly  covered  with  spruce-trees,  and  a  thick  un- 
dergrowth of  vine  maple,  saJlal  bushes,  vines,  and  other 
obstructions ;  and  as  at  the  time  of  our  visit  no  white 
man  had  ever  had  occasion  to  go  upon  it,  we  expected  to 
have  quite  a  job.  This  promontory  rests  on  boulders 
of  basaltic  rocks,  which  have  been  washed  bare  as  the 
waves  of  the  Bay  have  encroached  on  the  clayey  soil  of 
the  Point.  These  rocks  are  remarkable  from  the  fact 
that  they  are  the  only  rocks  of  the  kind  that  are  to  be 
found  in  the  Bay.  They  appear  at  some  period  to  have 
been  subjected  to  the  action  of  fire.  The  Indian  tradi- 
tion relating  to  them  is  that,  ages  ago,  a  celebrated  med- 
icine-man or  doctor,  accompanied  by  his  brother,  came 
from  the  north  on  a  visit  to  the  Bay  for  the  purpose  of 
obtaining  clams.  One  day,  while  wading  in  the  water 
for  crabs,  the  brother  of  the  doctor  fell  into  a  deep  chan- 
nel, where  he  was  seized  by  some  great  sea-monster  and 
swallowed.     His  lengthened  absence  from  home  caused 


THREE   YEARS   AT   SHOAL-WATER  BAY. 


69 


much  anxiety,  and  the  doctor,  by  his  divination,  ascer- 
tained what  was  the  cause.  At  that  time  giants,  or  strong 
men,  lived  in  .the  mountains  near  the  Bay.  These  the 
doctor  caused  to  bring  huge  stones,  while  he  himself  col- 
lected great  firs,  dried  spruce,  and  other  trees  wherewith 
to  build  a  great  fire.  When  this  was  done,  the  stones 
were  piled  on  the  top  of  the  wood  after  the  present  meth- 
od the  Indians  have  of  heating  stones  for  cooking  pur- 
poses ;  and,  when  the  wood  was  burned  down,  the  red- 
hot  stones  were  thrown  into  the  Bay,  which  caused  it  to 
boil  so  violently  that  the  water  soon  evaporated.  The 
doctor  then  seeing  the  great  sea-monster,  killed  it  with 
his  club,  and,  ripping  its  belly  open,  released  his  brother, 
who  very  joyfully  proceeded  with  him  to  Chenook, 
where,  after  performing  sundry  famous  cures,  they  gave 
offense  to  some  person  more  potent  than  themselves,  who 
changed  them  to  stone.  Two  rocks  near  Scarborough's 
Hill,  at  Chenook  Point,  are  still  shown  as  the  doctor 
and  his  brother.  As  every  thing  about  the  region  de- 
notes volcanic  action,  there  is  no  doubt  that  the  origin 
of  the  tradition  was  some  great  convulsion  of  nature,  the 
account  of  which  has  thus  been  handed  down  from  gen- 
eration to  generation,  clothed  with  the  ideal  imagery  of 
the  Indian's  mind. 

These  rocks  were  also  the  scene  of  a  bear-hunt  at  a 
later  period.  Two  of  the  oystermen,  George  G.  Bartlett, 
or,  as  we  used  to  call  him,  Tom  Bartlett,  and  Stephen 
Marshall,  were  one  day  going  round  the  Point  at  about 
half  tide,  when  a  large  portion  of  the  rocks  are  bare, 
when  they  discovered  a  half-grown  cub  on  the  outer 
rocks,  and,  hastily  hauling  their  boat  ashore,  they  got 
between  the  bear  and  the  land,  and  attempted  to  catch 
him.  Steve  had  a  boat-hook,  with  which  he  manfully 
approached  the  animal,  who  felt  not  a  little  surprised  at 
his  position.     Tom  had  an  oar.     Their  object  was  to 


•v.    i  . 


■;^ 


pis 


B 


'<»'  ^' 


M 


70 


THE  NORTHWEST  COAST;   OR, 


^i 


¥'      ►  "S 


■■  ('  :■  ■; 


mP'-fi^ 


drive  the  bear  into  the  water,  and  then  keep  him  offshore 
till  he  was  exhausted,  when  they  hoped  to  secure  him. 
But  Bruin  was  not  to  be  so  easily  taken.  After  wast- 
ing about  an  hour  and  gaining  no  advantage,  Stephen 
rushed  up  to  give  the  animal  a  punch  with  the  boat- 
hook,  but  he  slipped  when  close  up,  and  in  a  second  the 
bear  broke  the  boat-hook  to  atoms,  and  tore  the  frock  off 
Marshall's  back,  who  roared  out  most  lustily  for  Bartlett 
to  aid  him.  The  bear,  however,  did  no  more  damage, 
but  let  him  go,  which  he  did  in  a  hurry,  never  stopping 
till  he  had  reached  his  house,  screaming  and  roaring  all 
the  way,  '*  Turn  out,  boys !  turn  out !  Tom  Bartlett  has 
been  killed  by  a  bear  at  Stony  Point!"  This  roused 
up  the  men  of  the  beach,  who  ran  to  Bartlett's  assist- 
ance, and  found  him  coolly  tumbling  the  bear  into  his 
boat,  having  shot  him  with  a  revolver,  Marshall  was 
often  rallied  on  his  miming  away,  when  he  always  re- 
plied, "  Well,  boys,  but  I  wan  scared,  that's  a  fact !" 

Walter  and  myself,  after  a  deal  of  cutting  among  the 
vines  and  bushes,  came  to  the  old  canoes,  which  had 
evidently  been  there  many  years.  They  had  been  used 
as  coffins  for  the  dead,  according  to  the  usual  custom 
of  the  Coast  Indians,  who  place  their  dead  in  canoes, 
which  are  elevated  on  four  posts,  and  resting  on  hori- 
zontal bars  running  through  holes  mortised  in  the  tops 
of  the  posts. 

While  thus  engaged,  we  attempted  to  clamber  over 
what  we  supposed  to  be  a  small  mound,  which  was  cov- 
ered with  wild  currant  bushes.  As  we  took  hold  of 
these  to  aid  us,  they  gave  way,  and  we  discovered  the 
mound  to  be  an  old  canoe  of  large  dimensions,  which, 
years  before,  had  fallen  from  its  perch  in  the  air,  and  had 
been  jvergrown  by  moss  and  bushes.  On  turning  the 
canoe  over,  we  discovered  under  it  a  small  canoe  con- 
taining the  body  of  an  Indian  in  a  complete  state  of 


■I   :^; 


■:^^.. 


W^ 


tt^ 


^3   '  -   > 


THREE  YEARS  AT  SIIOAL-WATER  DAY. 


7d 


preservation.  It  looked  like  a  dried  mummy.  In  the 
canoe,  also,  were  the  skeletons  of  two  children,  and  a  lot 
of  heads,  brass  wrist -rings,  and  other  trinkets.  "We 
took  out  sonic  of  the  ornaments,  and  covered  the  whole 
up*  as  wo  liad  found  it.  This  mummy  was  afterward 
visited  by  every  man  nearly  in  the  Bay,  and  several 
months  or  a  year  afterward  it  was  boxed  up  by  Russell, 
who  claimed  to  have  discovered  it,  and  shipped  by  him 
to  San  Francisco,  where  it  excited  tlie  wonder  and  ad- 
miration of  the  quidnuncs,  and  learned  opinions  and 
lengthy  dissertations  were  delivered  to  show  that  the 
North  American  Indians  understood  the  process  of  em- 
balming bodies ;  and  one  writer  went  so  far  as  to  assert 
that  the  veins  of  this  specimen  had  been  injected  with 
pitch.  Now  my  own  opinion  is  simply  this :  the  man, 
at  the  time  of  his  death,  was  much  emaciated,  and  being 
placed  in  a  current  of  pure  air,  that  is  always  fresh  at 
Stony  Point,  had  simply  dried  up ;  and  this  opinion  is 
based  on  the  fact  that,  during  the  summer  months,  all 
along  the  Pacific  coast  the  air  is  very  pure  and  dry. 
Meat,  when  placed  in  the  open  air,  where  there  is  a  good 
circulation,  does  not  putrefy,  but  dries.  I  have  also 
made  diligent  inquiry  among  the  Indians,  who  have  in- 
variably assured  me  that  they  knew  of  no  preserving 
process,  and  they  thought  as  I  did,  that  the  body  had 
dried.  There  is  a  peculiarly  preservative  quality  in  the 
land  round  the  Bay.  It  abounds  in  silex,  which  is  held 
in  solution,  forming  petrifactions  of  various  kinds.  Ag- 
ates and  cornelians  of  great  beauty  are  common,  and 
many  fossil  remains  are  to  be  met  with. 

Some  time  after  this,  a  young  Indian  died  near  my  res- 
idence, and  was  placed  by  his  relatives  in  a  large  cam- 
phor-wood chest,  and  buried  in  the  sand,  where  the  body 
remained  one  year,  when  it  was  taken  up  to  be  reburied 
across  the  Bay,  and  on  opening  the  chest,  the  corpse  was 

D 


\y\ 


:,4: 


f:W\ 


'^i 


74 


THE  NORTHWEST  COAST;   OR, 


found  as  perfect  as  the  day  it  was  buried.  Now.  if  I 
had  sent  that  specimen  to  San  Francisco  without  com- 
ment, the  wise  men  and  philosophers  would  have  been 
as  badly  puzzled  as  they  were  by  the  mummy. 

I  had  one  more  incident  occur  to  me  at  Stony  Point 
shortly  after  this.  I  was  going  through  the  rocks  with 
a  barrel  of  beef  in  my  canoe  during  a  heavy  squall,  when 
a  sea  struck  her,  and  she  capsized,  and  the  barrel  and 
myself  were  thrown  overboard.  I  managed,  fortunately, 
to  get  on  the  rocks,  and  got  hold  of  the  canoe  as  she 
came  drifting  past,  righted  her,  and  paddled  her  round 
the  Point  into  calm  water,  where  I  bailed  her  out,  and 
went  to  the  house  for  a  dry  suit.  I  found  the  beef  at 
low  tide  the  next  day. 

Russell  having  returned  to  take  charge  of  his  own  af- 
fairs, the  captain  and  myself  concluded  to  take  a  claim, 
and  try  our  luck  at  the  oysters,  which  were  then  selling 
at  a  good  price,  two  dollars  per  basket  being  asked  and 
obtained. 

Old  Toke,  learning  my  intentions,  offered  to  show  me 
a  good  place,  and  taking  his  canoe,  with  Peter,  a  young 
fellow  in  his  lodge,  to  assist,  he  paddled  me  to  a  little 
stream  called  the  Querquelin,  or  Mouse  River.  This  is 
a  creek  emptying  into  the  Bay  about  two  miles  south  of 
Russell's  house,  and  half  way  between  it  and  the  Palux. 
I  had  frequently  passed  by  this  river  without  supposing 
there  was  any  thing  more  than  a  mere  brook.  Quite  a 
cove  making  in  at  that  point,  the  distance  from  the  usual 
direct  line  of  boats  passing  up  or  down  the  Bay  to  the 
mouth  of  the  creek  was  so  great,  that  no  one,  unless  they 
had  especial  business,  ever  thought  of  going  in  there, 
and  I  was  astonished  to  find  a  fine  stream,  about  two 
hundred  feet  wide,  which  ran  close  under  a  precipitous 
cliff,  a  hundred  feet  high,  covered  thickly  with  spruce 
and  fir,  and  at  the  water's  edge  with  black  alder.     On 


v*m 


com- 
;  been 

Point 
}  with 
when 
3I  and 
lately, 
IS  she 
round 
t,  and 
leef  at 

wn  af- 
claim, 
selling 
sd  and 

)W  me 
young 
I  little 
^his  is 
iith  of 
Palux. 
posing 
{uite  a 
I  usual 
to  the 
s  they 
there, 
it  two 
ipitoua 
spruce 
.     On 


'isff' 


,rw 


.*'*• 


f  f&y 


THREE   YEARS  AT  SHOAD-WATER  BAY. 


77 


the  other  or  north  side  of  the  stream  was  a  fine  level 
piaivie,  containing  five  or  six  acres  of  marsh,  and  as  many 
more  of  elevated  land  above  the  reach  of  the  highest 
tides.  Two  acres  of  this  land  was  clear  of  trees,  and 
had  been  formerly  the  site  of  an  Indian  village.  Back 
of  this  cleared  spot,  a  fine  grove  of  spruce  trees  shelter- 
ed tlie  place  from  the  north  wind.  The  western  side 
was  open  to  the  Bay,  with  a  clear  view  of  the  Pacific, 
and  of  the  two  entrances  to  the  Bay.  The  river  wound 
round  this  point  in  the  form  of  a  horse-ob.^,  and  then 
threaded  its  way  through  a  rich  prairie  for  eigh-  cr  nine 
miles,  when  it  forked  into  two  small  brooks.  This  place, 
from  its  peculiar  position,  had  always  been  a  favorite  res- 
idence with  the  Indians  ;  but  the  chief  having  died,  the 
village  was  deserted,  the  houses  burned  down,  and  the 
whole  gown  over  with  rose-bushes,  blackberry  vines, 
wild  gooseberry,  and  a  most  luxuriant  crop  of  netiles 
and  ferns. 

Toke  told  mc  that  the  Indians  were  afraid  to  go  back 
there  to  live  on  accouiit  of  the  dead  people ;  but  if  a  white 
man  went  there  they  would  go  back  too,  for  the  dead 
people,  tnemelose  tilUcums,  were  afraid  of  the  whites.  I 
was  very  much  pleased  with  the  locality,  and  on  my  re- 
turn ajrwed  V,  i*ii  the  captain  to  move  down  there.  On 
the  lirst  of  M-iy  we  took  possession,  and  I  was  perfect- 
ly delighted  witli  the  place.  As  no  saw-mill  had  then 
commem  <  i  operation  (although  Captain  Weldon  was  at 
work  on  his),  we  had  to  do  as  well  as  we  could  for  a 
shelter.  The  brig  Potomac  being  ihen  in  the  Bay,  I 
purchased  of  the  captain  a  spare  topsail,  witn  which  we 
made  us  a  famous  tent,  or  sail  house,  as  the  Indians  call- 
ed it.  It  was  a  very  comfortable  place,  and  we  soon 
commenced  operations.  Although  so  early  in  the  season 
as  the  first  of  May,  the  nettles  and  ferns  were  three  feet 
high.     However,  we  cut  and  slashed  among  them,  get- 


^^%^'i 


I      •  (■ 

4, 


■V-.^^ 


*       ivi 


M 


78 


THE   NOKTHWEST   COAST;    OR, 


U 


ting  most  woefully  stung,  and  in  the  course  of  a  few 
days,  had  a  place  cleared  away  large  enough  to  plant 
some  potatoes,  squashes,  beans,  and  other  vegetables. 
The  soil  was  the  richest  kind  of  loam,  but  it  had  a  great 
many  shells  in  it,  and  there  were  heaps  and  mounds  of 
shells  containing  thousands  of  bushels,  llie  accunr  ilation 
of  years  of  the  refuse  of  the  Indians.  The  ground  was 
full  of  all  kinds  of  insects,  bumble-bees,  spiders,  ants, 
beetles,  cut  -  worms,  and  caterpiUars,  which,  however, 
wanted  only  a  year  or  two  stirrii.'g-up  to  be  banished. 
We  soon  had  a  garden  planted,  and  now  turned  our  at- 
tention to  oysters.  As  soon  as  the  Indians  found  the 
place  was  inhabited,  they  flocked  there  in  numbers,  and 
we  had  our  hands  full  of  trade.  They  preferred  coming 
to  us,  as  the  place  was  easy  of  access  at  all  times  of  tide, 
and,  in  case  of  any  gale,  their  canoes  were  perfectly  safe 
in  the  smooth  water  of  the  river,  which  was  not  so  down 
the  beach  with  the  otlier  settlers ;  for  at  high  tides,  in 
storms,  tlie  swell  of  the  Pacific  would  roll  into  the  Bay, 
making  quite  a  surf  on  the  beach,  often  smashing  up 
boats  and  canoes,  and  creating  considerable  damage. 
Among  the  Indians  who  came  to  the  Bay  to  work  was 
a  chief  of  the  Queniult  Indians,  a  tribe  who  live  on  the 
banks  of  a  river  of  the  same  name,  wiiich  empties  into 
the  Pacific  five  miles  north  of  Point  Grenville,  or  about 
sixty  miles  north  of  Shoal-water  Bay,  This  tribe  is 
considered  a  very  hostile  race  by  the  other  Indians,  and 
numerous  massacres  have  been  committed  by  them  on 
the  white  traders  in  earlier  times.  The  chief,  whose 
name  is  Kape,  was  accompanied  by  two  of  his  sons  and 
a  large  party  of  his  people.  He  came  in  a  large  canoe, 
which  he  wished  to  sell  me,  and  as  I  wanted  one  of  that 
description,  I  purchased  his.  The  old  fellow  remained 
with  me  a  couple  of  weeks,  and  we  formed  a  great  frier.d- 
ship  for  each  other.     His  sons  were  the  finest-looking 


THREE  YEARS  AT   SHOAL-WATER  BAY. 


79 


Indians  I  have,  ever  seen.  The  oldest,  whose  name  is 
Wamalsh,  was  about  twenty-two  years  old,  six  feet  high, 
and  most  perfectly  proportioned.  The  younger,  named 
Wy  Yellock,  a  lad  of  eighteen,  although  much  shorter, 
was  full  as  well  proportioned,  and  very  handsome.  Nei- 
ther Kape  or  his  sons  could  understand  a  word  of  the 
Chenook  language,  and  I  had  to  employ  an  Indian  to  in- 
terpret. He  was  also  a  Qiieniult,  and  came  with  Kape. 
His  name  was  Hait-lilth,  and  called  by  the  whites  John. 
He  had  been  with  some  person  from  Oregon  to  the  Cal- 
ifornia mines,  and  could  talk  very  good  English.  They 
all  stopped  .vith  us  in  our  tent,  sharing  our  meals,  and 
sleeping  on  mats.  Tliey  were  very  pleasant,  quiet,  and 
well  behaved.  John,  who  was  the  spokesman,  was  quite 
intelligent  and  full  of  anecdotes,  ,/hich  helped  to  make 
the  time  pass  very  agreeably.  This  visit  was  the  foun- 
dation of  a  friendship  with  Kape  and  his  tribe,  which 
lasted  unbroken  during  my  residence  in  the  Territory. 
The  canoe  which  I  had  purchased  was  a  beauty.  She 
\f&s  forty-six  feet  long  and  six  feet  wide,  and  had  thirty 
Indians  in  her  when  she  crossed  the  bar  at  the  mouth 
of  the  Bay.  She  was  the  largest  canoe  that  had  been 
brought  from  up  the  coast,  although  the  Indians  round 
Vancouver's  and  Queen  Charlotte's  Islands  have  canoes 
capable  of  canying  one  hundred  warriors.  These  canoes 
are  beautiful  specimens  of  naval  architecture.  Formed 
of  a  single  log  of  cedar^  they  present  a  model  of  which 
a  white  mechanic  might  well  be  proud. 


n 


CHKNOOK  OAMOB  BOUGHT  r«OK  KAFE. 


r: 


w 


80 


THE  NORTHWEST  COAST;   OR, 


TANOOUYEK  IBLAMD  AND  GLALAM  OANOB. 


COWLITZ  CANOB. 


•4 


QUENIULT  FADDLB. 


The  other  canoes  are  the  forms  used  by  the  Indians 
about  Fuca  Straits  and  farther  north,  as  being  best  adapt- 
ed for  rough  water,  and  the  Cowlitz  canoe,  which  is 
mostly  used  on  the  rivers  of  the  interior.  The  broad 
bow  of  the  latter  form  is  to  enable  the  Indian  to  have  a 
firm  footing  while  he  uses  his  pole  to  force  the  canoe 
over  the  rapids.  The  paddle  is  the  shape  used  by  the 
Indians  in  deep  water,  and  is  different  from  the  Chenook 
paddle,  which  is  notched  at  the  end. 

The  manufacture  of  a  canoe  is  a  work  of  great  moment 
with  these  Indians.  It  is  not  every  man  among  them 
that  can  make  a  canoe,  but  some  are,  like  our  white  me- 
chanics, more  expen  than  their  neighbors.  A  suitable 
tree  is  first  selected,  which  in  all  cases  is  the  cedar,  and 
then  cut  down.  This  job  was  formerly  a  formidable 
one,  as  the  tree  was  chipped  around  with  stone  chisels, 
after  the  fashion  adopted  by  beavers,  and  looks  as  if 
gnawed  off.  At  present,  hew  ever,  they  understand  the 
use  of  the  axe,  and  many  are  expert  choppers.     When 


THREE  YEARS  AT  SHOAL-WATER  BAT. 


81 


the  tree  is  down,  it  is  first  stripped  of  its  bark,  then  cut 
off  into  the  desired  length,  and  the  upper  part  split  off 
with  little  wedges,  till  it  is  reduced  to  about  two  thirds 
the  original  height  of  the  log.  The  bows  and  stem  are 
then  chopped  into  a  rough  shape,  and  enough  cut  out  of  * 
tlie  inside  to  lighten  it  so  that  it  can  be  easily  turited. 
When  all  is  ready,  the  log  is  turned  bottom  up,  and  the 
Indian  goes  to  work  to  fashion  it  out.  This  he  does 
with  no  instrument  of  measurement  but  his  eye,  and  so 
correct  is  that,  that  when  he  has  done  his  hewing  no  one 
could  detect  the  least  defect.  When  the  outside  is 
formed  and  rough-hewn,  the  log  is  again  turned,  and  the 
inside  cut  out  with  the  axe.  This  operation  was  for- 
merly done  by  fire,  but  the  process  was  slow  and  tedi- 
ous. During  the  chopping  the  Indian  frequently  ascer- 
tains the  thickness  of  the  sides  by  placing  one  hand  on 
the  outside  and  the  other  on  the  inside.  The  canoe  is 
now  again  turned  bottom  up,  and  the  whole  smoothed 
off  with  a  peculiar-shaped  chisel,  used  something  after 
the  manner  of  a  cooper's  adze.  This  is  a  very  tiresome 
job,  and  takes  a  long  time.  Then  the  inside  is  finished, 
and  the  canoe  now  has  to  be  stretched  into  shape.  It 
is  first  nearly  filled  with  water,  into  which  hot  stones 
are  thrown,  and  a  fire  at  the  same  time  of  bark  is  built 
outside.  This  in  a  short  time  renders  the  wood  so  sup- 
ple that  the  centre  can  be  spread  open  at  the  top  from 
six  inches  to  a  foot.  This  is  kept  in  place  by  sticks  or 
stretchers,  similar  to  the  method  of  a  boat's  thwarts. 
The  ends  of  these  stretchers  are  fastened  by  means  of  ' 
withes  made  from  the  taper  ends  of  cedar  limbs,  twisted 
and  used  instead  of  cords.  When  all  is  finished,  the  wa- 
ter is  emptied  out,  and  then  the  stem  and  head-pieces  are 
put  on.  These  are  carved  from  separate  sticks,  and  are 
fastened  on  by  means  of  withes  and  wooden  pegs  or  tree- 
nailf*:     After  the  inside  is  finished  to  the  satisfaction  of 

D2 


i 


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.|U, 


82 


THE  NORTHWEST  COAST;    OR, 


11 


Mil 


the  maker,  the  canoe  is  again  turned,  and  the  charred 
part,  occasioned  by  the  bark  fire,  is  rubbed  with  stones 
to  make  the  bottom  as  smooth  as  possible,  when  the 
whole  outside  is  painted  over  with  a  black  mixture  made 
of  burned  rushes  and  whale  oil.  The  inside  is  also 
painted  red  with  a  mixture  of  red  ochre  and  oil.  The 
edges  all  round  are  studded  with  little  shells,  which  are 
the  valve  joint  of  the  common  snail,  and,  when  brass- 
headed  nails  can  be  obtained,  they  are  used  in  profusion. 
This  description  I  give  is  of  the  making  of  a  canoe  near 
my  house,  and  I  saw  the  progress  every  day,  from  the 
time  the  tree  was  cut  down  till  the  canoe  was  finished. 
This  was  a  medium  sized  canoe,  and  took  three  months 
to  li';Ish  it. 

As  old  Kape  was  an  excellent  shot,  we  frequently 
went  out  for  seals,  which  abound  in  the  Bay.  At  such 
times  some  of  the  party  would  stop  on  the  flats  to  gather 
crabs,  while  others  were  engaged  in  catching  turbot  and 
flounders.  This  is  very  good  sport  for  the  Indians. 
These  fish  are  found  in  the  little  pools  of  water  on  the 
flats  which  have  been  left  by  the  receding  tide.  The 
crabs,  which  are  of  a  large  size,  very  fat,  and  of  delicious 
flavor,  are  plentiful  in  the  spring  and  early  part  of  sum- 
mer. We  would  gather  them  by  the  bushel,  and  when 
boiled  I  think  them  superior  to  any  lobster  or  craw-fish 
I  have  ever  eaten.  When  the  Indians  catch  them  they 
break  off  the  shell,  saving  only  the  claw  part.  This 
method  not  only  reduces  the  bulk  to  be  carried,  but  most 
efiectually  cures  the  biting  propensities  of  these  crabs, 
who  can  give  a  pretty  severe  nip.  I  was  with  old  Toke 
one  day,  and,  while  wading  in  one  of  these  pools,  a  large 
crab  seized  him  by  the  heel,  which  it  bit  so  severely  as 
to  draw  blood.  Old  Toke  was  frantic,  and,  seizing  the 
crab  with  both  hands,  threw  it  far  on  the  flats ;  then 
rushing  up.,  he  jumped  on  it  till  it  was  smashed  to  atoms. 


■,  '■  ■  ■ '  ^ 


THREE   YEARS   AT   BIIOAL-WATER   BAY. 


83 


uttering  all  the  time  the  most  violent  expressions  of 
rage. 

The  turbot  and  flounders  are  caught  wliile  wading  in 
the  water  by  means  of  the  feet.  The  Indian  wades  along 
slowly,  and,  as  soon  as  he  feels  a  fish  with  his  feet,  he 
steps  quickly  on  it  and  holds  it  firmly  till  he  can  reach 
hold  of  it  with  his  hand,  when  he  gives  it  a  jerk,  and 
away  it  flies  far  into  the  flats.  This  process  is  repeated 
till  enough  flsh  are  caught,  when  they  are  picked  up,  put 
in  a  basket,  and  carried  to  the  canoe.  The  turbot  are 
much  like  the  English  turbot,  but  smaller ;  the  largest  I 
have  ever  seen  weighed  twenty  pounds.  The  flounders 
are  similar  to  those  of  the  Atlantic  at  New  York  or  Bos- 
ton. They  are  easily  taken  by  this  method  of  the  In- 
dians, as  their  rough  backs  prevent  them  slipping  from 
under  the  feet.  The  catching  affords  a  deal  of  fun,  as 
usually  quite  a  number  arc  engaged  in  the  sport,  and 
their  splashing,  slipping,  screaming,  and  laughing  make 
a  lively  time.  These  fish,  like  all  the  fish  in  the  Bay, 
are  very  fine  and  well  flavored. 

Whenever  Kape  would  shoot  a  seal,  which  was  often, 
the  bullet-hole  was  first  stopped  up  to  save  the  blood, 
and  as  soon  as  the  animal  was  brought  ashore,  the  fol-s- 
lowing  process  was  invariably  adopted.  A  couple  of 
round  logs,  eight  or  ten  inches  in  diameter,  were  laid  par- 
allel to  each  other,  a  foot  or  two  apart,  and  between  them 
kindled  a  brisk  fire  of  dry  chips.  The  seal  is  then  laid 
across  the  logs  over  the  blaze,  and,  commencing  at  the 
nose,  the  whole  body  is  rolled  over  and  over  till  all  the 
hair  is  thoroughly  singed  off.  The  skin,  which  is,  by 
this  process,  pretty  well  roasted,  is  scraped  clean  with  a 
shell  or  knife.  The  blubber  is  next  cut  off  in  strips, 
which  are  boiled  in  water,  and  the  oil  skimmed  off  with 
shells.  After  it  has  settled  and  cooled,  it  is  poured  into 
a  bottle  (as  they  call  it),  made  of  the  paunch  of  the  ani- 


t1J 


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84 


THE  NORtnwf:sT    oast;  or, 


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I! 


mal  blown  up  l<kn  a  bliicUler,  and  dried.  In  every  lodge 
may  be  seen  ih  :t.3  bladder-like  bottles,  and  the  more 
an  Indian  haa  the  greater  his  wealth.  Tlie  meat,  which 
is  dark,  is  boiled  with  the  blood,  which  they  ure  particu- 
lar to  save,  and,  when  cooked,  is  tender,  ai»d  not  very 
unpalatable.  The  liver,  particularly,  of  a  young  seal  is 
very  nice,  and,  when  fried  with  pork,  resembles  hog's 
liver.  The  oil  is  eaten  freely  with  all  their  food,  and, 
when  freshly  boiled,  is  as  sweet  and  free  from  lishy  flavor 
as  lard. 

Toke's  method  of  killing  3eals  was  by  the  spear.  This 
is  the  ancient  style,  and,  as  old  Toke  had  been  famous 
for  his  prowess  among  these  animals,  he  chose  to  retain 
the  style  of  weapons  he  had  been  most  accustomed  to. 
T'.e  staff  of  his  spear  was  about  twenty  feet  long,  made 
of  fir  or  yew.  The  head  of  the  spear,  made  like  a  sal- 
mon spear,  but  larger,  was  attached  to  a  line  thirty 
fathoms  long,  and  of  a  si^je  known  on  shipboard  as  a 
hand  lead-line.  With  this  armament  the  old  savage 
would  sally  forth,  and  proceed  to  some  sand  island  to 
the  leeward  of  the  seals,  who  are  always,  at  low  tide, 
seen  basking  in  the  sun,  particularly  in  the  spring,  when 
the  young  ones  are  about.  Having  fastened  his  canoe 
and  divested  himself  of  his  clothes,  with  one  end  of  the 
line  fastened  round  his  body,  and  the  rest  coiled  up  on 
his  left  arm,  he  goes  into  the  water,  with  the  spear  firm- 
ly grasped  in  his  right  hand,  and  floating  just  under  the 
surface  of  the  water.  No  part  of  his  person,  except  the 
face  and  top  of  his  head,  could  be  seen,  and  the  hair 
floating  round  made  him  look  very  much  like  a  seal. 
Cautiously  and  slowly  he  gets  between  the  seal  and  the 
deep  water;  then  wading  ashore,  careful  to  keep  his 
body  submerged  till  he  is  near  enough,  he  suddenly  rises 
up,  and,  darting  his  spear  into  the  body  of  the  animal, 
runs  back  on  the  sand,  and,  setting  his  heels  firmly, 


i 


I 


THREE   YEARS   AT  SIIOAL-WATER   BAY. 


85 


braces  liin'^elf*  up  for  tlio  contest.  He  lets  but  little  line 
out  at  first,  anil,  it'  he  is  the  strongest,  easily  gains  the 
mastery.  But  with  a  largo  old  male  a  fierce  struggle  en- 
sues, and  it  is  sometimes  attended  with  the  loss  of  the 
line ;  but  generally  the  old  fellow  comes  out  victorious. 
When  the  animal  is  dead,  the  first  thing  is  to  stop  up 
the  spciiv-hole  with  a  wooden  plug,  or  a  bunch  :  •*  <];rasa 
or  fer  hich  is  always  carried  in  the  can  e  ("X  ihe 
pur)  "'"^  prize  is  then  carried  home,  and  ti;i'  iwune 

proc    8  ihrough  as  before  mentioned.     Tokc,  like 

all  otiiui  m  iians  I  have  met  with,  never  ate  any  thing 
before  he  left  home  on  these  seal  hunts,  and  sometimes 
he  would  be  twenty-four  hours  without  food.  He  said 
it  made  him  feel  lazy,  and  he  would  wonder  why  I  al- 
ways insisted  on  eating  my  breakfast  before  starting  off 
on  tlicse  early  morning  expeditions. 

TJie  large  clams  and  quahaugs  are  more  prized  by  the 
Indians  than  oysters.  The  large  clam  called  by  them 
metar  or  smetar  are  found  in  the  sand  about  a  foot  deep. 
Their  long  snouts  or  necks  thrust  up  to  the  surface  in- 
dicate their  position.  They  are  then  dug  up  by  scrap- 
ing away  the  sand  with  the  hand,  a  process  in  which  the 
squaws  are  particularly  expert.  The  quahaug  or  hard- 
shell clam,  called  by  them  clolum,  is  found  near  the  sur- 
face, and  in  some  locations  perfectly  bare.  These  clams 
are  cured  for  use  as  follows :  the  smetar  is  opened  with 
a  knife,  and  the  clams  stuck  on  skewers  holding  about 
two  dozen ;  these  are  then  washed  clean,  drained,  and 
dried  in  smoke.  The  clolum  is  opened  by  being  heaped 
on  stones  previously  heated,  then  covered  with  sea-weed 
and  mats.  The  water  contained  in  the  clam  runs  down 
on  the  hot  stones,  causing  steam,  which,  being  confined 
by  the  mats  and  sea-weed,  soon  cooks  the  whole  pile, 
containing  usually  from  ten  to  twenty  bushels.  From 
twenty  minutes  to  three  quarters  of  an  hour  are  gen- 


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IMAGE  EVALUATION 
TEST  TARGET  (MT-3) 


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Hiotographic 

Sciences 
Corporation 


33  WEST  MAIN  STMfT 

WEBSTIR.N.Y.  USM 

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86 


THE  NORTHWEST  COAST;    OR, 


« 


:■'                 ': 

erally  occupied  in  performing  the  operation,  and  the  cov- 
erings are  then  removed.  The  shells,  now  being  open, 
are  easily  separated,  and  the  meat  stuck  on  skewers,  like 
the  metdr,  and  dried  in  the  smoke.  These  dried  clams 
are  a  great  article  of  trade  with  the  Indians  of  the  inte- 
rior, and  quantities  are  annually  carried  from  Shoal-wa- 
ter Bay  up  the  Columbia.  When  these  clams  are  first 
taken  out  of  the  steaming  heap  they  are  most  delicious, 
very  tender  and  sweet,  but  after  they  are  dried  they  are 
rather  tough  chewing.  They  are  usually  cooked  by 
boiling  them,  when  they  get  a  little  softer,  and  taste 
pretty  well,  particularly  to  a  hungry  person,  the  smoky 
flavor  being  no  objection.  My  favorite  method  of  cook- 
ing these  shell-fish  was  to  make  a  chowder  of  the  qua- 
hogs,  and,  after  cleaning  the  great  sea  clam,  roll  them  in 
meal,  and  fry  them  with  salt  pork.  The  long  sand  clam 
or  razor-fish  was  also  cooked  by  frying.  Another  clam, 
resembling  the  common  clam  of  Massachusetts  in  shape, 
is  also  found,  and  usually  eaten  raw  by  the  Indians. 
This  is  called  by  them  aryuk,  and,  fried  in  batter,  is  very 
nice.  There  are  several  varieties  of  mussels  found,  one 
of  which,  a  white-meated  one,  grows  singly  on  the  flats 
near  the  oyster-beds.  Whenever  I  could  obtain  these 
mussels,  which  are  not  very  plenty,  I  always  found  them 
preferable  to  oysters.  Some  other  varieties  of  mussel 
grow  in  immense  beds,  and,  by  making  shoals,  are  a  nui- 
sance to  the  oystermen,  whose  boats  frequently  get 
aground  on  them,  and  have  to  wait  sometimes  six  or 
eight  hours  for  the  return  tide.  These  mussels,  although 
eaten  by  the  Indians,  are  not  very  good,  and  are  seldom 
partaken  of  by  the  whites ;  still,  I  never  heard  of  any 
ill  effects  attending  their  use  as  food. 

The  common  barnacle  grows  very  large  on  the  old 
logs  about  the  Bay  and  up  the  coast.  Some  of  the  In- 
dians, particularly  the  Queniults,  are  very  fond  of  them. 


THREE  TEAKS  AT  SHOAIcWATER  BAY. 

tut  I  never  saw  any  of  the  Bay  Indians  use  them.  In 
the  creeks  that  run  into  the  Bay  a  small  crab  is  taken 
in  great  quantities,  which  are  boiled  by  the  Indians  and 
eaten,  shells  and  all.  These  shell-fish  are  not  taken 
during  the  winter  months,  and  then,  if  the  Indian  has 
been  improvident  or  neglectful  of  his  winter  supplies,  he 
is  at  times  reduced  to  great  distress.  But  as  soon  as 
the  weather  begins  to  get  a  little  warm,  which  it  does  in 
February  or  March,  he  is  no  longer  in  want.  Vegeta- 
tion starts  very  early  and  grows  rapidly.  A  variety  of 
roots  and  plants  are  eaten.  The  stalks  of  the  cow  par- 
snip and  the  wild  ce^'^ry  are  eaten  raw.  The  outer  skin 
is  first  peeled  off,  and  the  tender  and  aromatic  vegetable 
forms  a  very  grateful  addition  to  the  dried  salmon  eggs 
which  are  now  brought  on  for  food.  The  leaves  of  the 
yellow  dock  are  boiled,  then  bruised  up  into  a  pulp,  and 
eaten  with  sugar  or  molasses,  if  they  can  be  obtained,  or 
else  with  oil.  The  root  of  the  common  skunk  cabbage, 
after  being  boiled  and  partially  deprived  of  its  acrid 
properties,  is  eaten  with  avidity,  but  I  was  never  very 
partial  to  the  dish.  The  most  pleasant,  cooling,  and 
healthy  vegetable  is  the  sprout  of  the  wild  raspberry 
[Rubits  sjpectablis).  This  shoots  up  with  great  rapidity, 
seeming  to  grow  as  fast  as  asparagus.  These  sprouts 
are  collected  in  bundles  and  brought  into  the  lodge, 
where  they  are  denuded  of  their  tough  outer  skin,  and 
the  centre  is  as  crisp  and  tender  as  a  cucumber,  and,  be- 
ing slightly  acid,  is  delicious.  They  are  slightly  astrin- 
gent ;  and  as  the  herring  begin  to  make  their  appearance 
at  the  same  time,  and  from  their  oily  nature,  and  the  im- 
moderate manner  in  which  the  Indians  eat  them,  are  apt 
to  produce  disorders  of  the  bowels,  the  sprouts,  being 
freely  eaten  at  the  same  time,  counteract  the  effect.  So 
with  the  berry  of  this  plant,  which  is  ripe  in  June,  when 
the  salmon  begin  to  be  taken  in  the  Columbia.     This 


M*  !•* 


s*,'  jm 


V  , 


88 


THE  NORTHWEST  COAST;    OR, 


'    ii 


h 


'?i.!i 


Pi '11 


fruit,  which  is  called  the  salmon-beny,  and  is  found  in 
the  greatest  abundance,  is  also  beneficial  to  counteract 
any  ill  effects  that  might  be  occasioned  by  inordinate 
eating  of  the  rich  salmon.  There  is  also  another  variety 
of  the  raspberry  {Hubus  odoratus)^  but  its  fruit  is  infe- 
rior, and  of  but  little  account.  Its  blossoms  differ  from 
those  east  of  the  Eocky  Mountains,  being  white  instead 
of  pink. 

Among  the  different  roots  eaten  by  the  Indians  in  the 
Bay  are  three  varieties  of  fern,  which  are  cooked  by  bak- 
ing. The  root  of  the  common  cat-tail  flag  is  eaten  raw, 
and  I  found  it,  sliced  with  vinegar,  very  palatable.  Small 
roots  resembling  snake -root  in  appearance,  but  with- 
out flavor,  when  cooked  by  boiling  are  dry  and  mealy, 
and  are  eaten  with  oil.  The  root  of  a  species  of  rush, 
found  on  the  sea-shore,  of  the  size  of  a  walnut,  is  eaten 
either  raw  or  baked ;  its  taste  raw  is  similar  to  the  Jeru- 
salem artichokes,  and  baked  resembles  a  mealy  potato. 
There  is  also  a  plant  of  the  Mesembryanthemum  species, 
with  a  root  like  a  yam,  which,  baked  or  boiled,  is  excel- 
lent. This,  also,  is  found  on  the  sea-side,  in  the  sand 
near  the  beach.  As  the  season  advances  and  the  fruits 
ripen,  great  quantities  are  used  as  foo*"^  o  the  exclusion 
of  fish  and  meats.  The  dry,  mealy  ies  of  the  Ar- 
butus uva  ursi,  or  bear-berry,  are  'braised  and  eaten 
with  oil,  and  the  dried  leaves,  called  quer-lo-e-chintl,  are 
smoked  like  tobacco.  The  salmon-berry  just  mentioned 
is  the  first  fruit  ripe,  and  is  soon  followed  by  strawber- 
ries, great  quantities  of  which  are  found  in  the  plains  of 
the  peninsula,  and  in  all  the  prairie  lands  on  or  near  the 
coast.  Then  comes  the  whortleberry,  blueberry,  and  a 
beautiful  coral-red  berry  like  a  currant,  called  red  whor- 
tleberry, but  of  a  different  character.  This  fruit  tastes 
like  and  resembles  the  common  red  currant,  and  I  think, 
by  cultivation,  it  would  make  not  only  a  beautiful  and 


THEEE  YEAKS  AT  SHOAL-WATER  BAY. 


89 


ornamental  shrub,  but  the  quantity  and  quality  of  the 
fruit  would  be  improved.  Blackberries,  gooseberries, 
and  wild  black  currants  next  follow,  and  then  comes  the 
sallal  {Gaultheria  /Shallon).  This  beautiful  evergreen 
shrub  may  be  found  varying  in  height  from  two  feet  to 
ten.  The  leaf  is  a  dark  green,  like  the  laurel ;  the  bark 
on  the  smaller  limbs  and  twigs  is  red,  or  of  a  reddish- 
brown.  The  flowers  are  in  clusters,  like  the  currant, 
having  from  fourteen  to  twenty-one  on  one  stem.  The 
fruit,  when  ripe,  is  a  very  dark  purple,  almost  black, 
rough  on  the  outside,  very  juicy,  and  of  a  sweetish, 
slightly  acid  taste,  and  of  the  size  of  large  buck-shot. 
It  is  excellent  cooked  in  any  form,  and  is  dried  by  the 
Indians,  and  pressed  into  cakes  containing  some  five  or 
six  pounds,  which  are  covered  with  leaves  and  rushes,  so 
as  to  exclude  the  air,  and  then  put  away  in  a  dry  place 
for  winter's  use.  This  plant  continues  to  blossom  till 
late  in  December  in  certain  localities,  although  it  has  but 
one  crop,  which  is  ripe  in  August.  The  wild  crab-apple 
also  grows  in  abundance,  and  is  eaten  by  the  Indians 
after  being  simply  b^^iled.  These  apples  are  very  small, 
of  an  O'val  shape,  with  a  long  stem,  and  grow  in  clusters 
of  from  six  to  ten.  The  cranberry,  which  is  very  plen- 
tiful, and  forms  quite  an  article  of  traffic  between  the 
whites  and  Indians,  is  next  in  season,  and  is  followed  by 
a  species  of  whortleberry,  called  by  the  Indians  shot- 
berries,  which  last  till  December,  when  the  rains  beat  the 
fruit  off  the  buslies.  The  berries  grow  in  clusters,  and 
resemble  the  prim.  The  leaf  is  small,  of  oval  shape, 
with  finely-serrated  edges.  It  is  also  an  excellent  ber- 
ry, and,  if  kept  dry  and  cool,  can  be  preserved  fresh  for 
several  months.  It  is,  however,  usually  dried  by  the  In- 
dians, and  eaten  early  in  the  spring,  before  the  other  ber- 
ries begin  to  ripen. 
On  the  Columbia  Biver,  an  excellent  root,  called  the 


\  \ 


"fil 


,H'  'I 


II 


THE   NORTHWEST  COAST ;    OR, 

wappatoo,  which  is  the  bulb  of  the  common  Saggitafolia, 
or  arrow-head,  is  found  in  abundance,  and  is  a  favorite 
food  of  the  wild  swans,  which  are  very  plentiful.  The 
wappatoo  is  an  article  much  sought  after  by  the  interior 
Indians,  but  there  is  none  found  on  the  coast,  except 
in  very  small  quantities.  The  Catnmasia  esculenta  is 
found  all  over  both  territories,  and  is  known  by  various 
names.  The  Indians  call  it  Im,  Cammaas^  which  is  the 
name  taught  them  by  the  early  French  voyageurs.  This 
is  spelled  by  different  writers  as  Kammaius,  Lackamas, 
Camarus,  Camash,  and  Kamas,  but  they  all  mean  the 
same.  Every  tribe,  in  its  own  peculiar  language,  has  a 
different  name  for  this  root ;  but  in  conversation  with  the 
whites,  they  use  the  Jargon,  or  trade  language,  which  is 
a  barbarous  mixture  of  Chenook,  English,  and  French ; 
and  if  writers  of  Indian  Jargon  words  would  but  consider 
their  origin,  they  would  not  be  so  liable  to  such  wide  dif- 
ferences in  their  method  of  spelling. 

This  root,  which  resembles  an  onion  in  appearance,  is 
a  species  of  lily,  found  in  moist  places  on  the  prairies. 
After  the  plant  has  done  flowering,  or  when  the  Indians 
consider  it  ripe,  which  is  usually  in  September  and  Octo- 
ber, the  root  is  dug  up  by  the  squaws,  who  go  out  in  par- 
ties for  the  purpose,  and  are  generally  absent  several 
days.  After  sufficient  has  been  collected,  the  leaves  and 
loose  outhusks  are  removed,  and  the  whole  roasted  on 
hot  stones.  The  method  is  as  follows :  A  large  pile  of 
dry  wood  is  made,  on  the  top  of  which  a  quantity  of 
stones  are  piled ;  fire  is  then  applied,  and  kept  up  till  all 
the  wood  is  burned,  leaving  nothing  but  the  hot  stones 
and  ashes.  Fern-leaves  are  then  laid  on  the  stones,  and 
on  these  mats  are  placed ;  the  cammass-roots  are  then 
placed  on  the  mats,  and  spread  level;  water  is  then 
thrown  over  them,  and  immediately  they  are  covered 
with  mats,  blankets,  and  the  whole  covered  up  with  sand. 


THREE  YEARS  AT  SHOAL-WATER  BAY. 


91 


every  care  being  taken  to  keep  in  all  the  steam.  This 
heap  is  allowed  to  remain  till  it  is  cold,  which,  according 
to  the  size  of  the  fire  and  the  quantity  of  roots  used,  va- 
ries from  twelve  to  twenty-four  hours.*  The  roots  then 
are  soft  and  very  sweet,  much  like  a  baked  sweet  potato. 
The  natives  preserve  them  by  pressing  them  into  loaves, 
wiiich,  when  eaten,  are  cut  in  slices  like  pudding.  I 
never  have  met  with  a  white  person  who  was  not  fond 
of  baked  cammass,  and  I  do  not  know  any  vegetable,  ex- 
cept fried  bananas,  so  delicious.  There  are,  undoubted- 
ly, many  other  roots,  fruits,  and  vegetables  eaten  by  the 
Indians,  but  I  do  not  recollect  any  others  except  those 
mentioned. 

Old  Kape  and  his  sons  were  good  hunters,  and  every 
season  came  to  the  Bay  laden  with  furs,  which  they  car- 
ried to  the  store  of  the  Hudson  Bay  Company  at  Che- 
nook,  on  the  Columbia  River.  The  most  valuable  skins 
they  brought  were  the  sea-otter,  which  they  shoot  in 
considerable  quantities  at  Point  Grenville,  on  the  coast, 
about  sixty  miles  north  of  Shoal-water  Bay.  The  sea- 
otter  is  the  most  valuable  of  the  fur  animals  taken  on 
the  Pacific  coast,  those  to  the  north  of  the  Columbia  be- 
ing considered  of  more  value  than  those  taken  south  and 
along  the  coast  of  California. 

In  Jewett*s  narrative  of  a  three  years*^  residence  among 
the  savages  at  Nootka,  in  1803-6,  he  gives  the  following 
description :  "  The  sea-otter  is  nearly  five  feet  in  length, 
exclusive  of  the  tail,  which  is  about  twelve  inches  long, 
and  is  very  thick  and  broad  where  it  joins  the  body,  but 
gradually  tapers  to  the  end,  which  is  tipped  with  white. 
The  color  of  the  rest  is  a  shining,  silky  black,  with  the 
exception  of  a  broad  white  stripe  on  the  top  of  the  head. 
Nothing  can  be  more  beautiful  than  one  of  these  animals 
when  seen  swimming,  especially  when  on  the  look-out 
for  any  object.     At  such  times  it  raises  its  head  quite 


fm 


m 


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k,  fe 


■■■■'"IK' 


M-^M 


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■/■^wH;  \ 

n 

fa 

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■■>■ 

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-*^-  ■  ■■ 

1 

92 


THE  NORTHWEST  COAST;    OB, 


mr 


m 


Vi  ■ 


■":^;''i'it 


above  the  surface,  and  the  contrast  between  the  shining 
black  and  white,  together  with  its  sharp  ears,  and  a  long 
tuft  of  hair  rising  from  the  middle  of  its  forehead,  which 
look  like  three  small  horns,  render  it  a  novel  and  attract- 
ive object. 

*'  The  skin  is  held  in  great  estimation  in  China,  more 
especially  that  of  the  tail,  which  is  finer  and  closer  set 
than  that  on  the  body. 

"  The  value  of  a  skin  is  determined  by  its  size,  that 
being  considered  as  a  prime  skin  which  will  reach  in 
length  from  a  man's  chin  to  his  feet. 

"  The  food  of  the  sea-otter  is  fish,  which  he  is  very 
dexterous  in  taking,  being  an  excellent  swimmer,  with 
feet  webbed  like  those  of  a  goose." 

At  the  time  Jewett  was  on  the  coast,  fire-arms  had 
not  come  into  general  use,  the  bow  and  spear  being  the 
weapons.  The  otters  then  were  not  at  all  shy,  and 
might  be  seen  at  any  time  swimming  about.  He  men- 
tions seeing  the  old  ones  with  their  young,  like  so  many 
rats,  frolicking  and  sporting  about  in  the  most  lively 
manner.  They  usually  have  four  young  ones  at  a  time, 
bom  early  in  the  spring.  The  sea-otter  is  never  found 
in  fresh  water,  or  in  any  of  the  rivers  of  the  interior. 
Like  the  seal,  its  home  is  in  the  salt  water,  and  its  haunts 
about  the  rocks  and  ledges  of  the  coast. 

The  river-otter,  which  abounds  all  over  the  Territory, 
may  be  taken  easily  either  by  traps,  or  by  hunting  with 
dogs,  or  shooting.  I  have  had  good  sport  chasing  otters, 
for,  once  get  them  out  of  the  water,  although  almost  as 
spry  as  a  cat,  they  are  no  match  for  a  dog  in  speed ;  but 
they  are  very  savage  when  at  bay,  and,  unless  a  dog  is 
well  trained,  he  is  very  likely  to  be  hurt.  These  otters 
breed  in  holes  either  under  some  old  stump  or  in  the 
side  of  a  hill,  always  being  sure  to  have  such  ready  ac- 
cess to  the  water  that  they  can  take  to  it  on  the  least 
alarm. 


1 1 


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;| 


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as  a  d 
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Lewis 

flesh  ii 
ury. 
beaver 
others, 
as  he  c 
the  dis 
acute, 
is  first 
contain 
Five  or 
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grains  ( 
er,  and 
whole  t 
carefull; 
to  the  a 
five  day 
will  reti 
ic  spicei 
rietj  an 
"Th< 
tain  a  « 
yellow  c 
others, 
ders,  coi 
The  oth( 
Fomii 
for  furs  < 
principal 
hearing 


THBEE  TEARS  AT  SHOAL-WATER  BAT. 


95 


The  beaver  is  also  found  in  incredible  numbers,  but 
as  a  description  can  be  had  in  any  work  on  natural  his- 
tory, I  will  merely  subjoin  the  following  extract  from 
Lewis  and  Clarke's  description,  which  may  interest  some. 

"  The  beaver  of  this  country  is  large  and  fat.  The 
flesh  is  very  palatable,  and  at  our  table  was  a  real  lux- 
ury. On  the  7th  of  January,  1806,  our  hunter  found  a 
beaver  in  his  traps,  of  which  he  made  a  bait  for  taking 
others.  This  bait  will  entibe  a  beaver  to  the  trap  as  far 
as  he  can  smell  it,  and  this  may  fairly  be  stated  to  be  at 
the  distance  of  a  mile,  as  their  sense  of  smelling  is  very 
acute.  To  prepare  beaver-bait,  the  castor  or  bark-stone 
is  first  gently  pressed  from  the  bladder-like  bag  which 
contains  it  into  a  vial  of  four  ounces  with  a  wide  mouth. 
Five  or  six  of  these  stones  are  taken,  to  which  must  be 
added  a  nutmeg,  a  dozen  or  fifteen  cloves,  and  thirty 
grains  of  cinnamon,  finely  pulverized  and  stirred  togeth- 
er, and  as  much  ardent  spirits  added  as  will  make  the 
whole  to  the  consistency  of  mustard.  This  must  be 
carefully  corked,  as  it  soon  loses  its  efficacy  on  exposure 
to  the  air.  The  scent  becomes  much  stronger  in  four  or 
five  days  after  its  preparation,  and,  with  proper  caution, 
will  retain  its  efficacy  for  months.  Any  strong  aromat- 
ic spices  will  answer,  their  sole  virtue  being  to  give  va- 
riety and  pungency  to  the  scent  of  the  bark-stone. 

"  The  male  beaver  has  six  stones,  two  of  which  con- 
tain a  substance  like  firir.')y  pulverized  bark,  of  a  pale 
yellow  color,  and  are  called  bark-stones  or  castor.  Two 
others,  which,  like  the  bark-stones,  resemble  small  blad- 
ders, contain  pure  strong  oil,  and  are  called  oil-stones. 
The  other  two  are  the  testicles." 

Formerly  the  Americans  had  a  very  extensive  trade 
for  furs  on  the  Northwest  Coast,  and  this  was  carried  on 
principally  by  the  merchants  of  Boston.  The  Indians, 
hearing  the  name  of  Boston  so  often  repeated,  supposed 


m 


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•'i^Sv,  I 

THE  NORTHWEST   COAST;    OR, 


% 


that  to  be  the  name  of  the  country  these  people  and  ships 
came  from  ;  consequently,  all  Americans  are  to  this  day 
called  by  the  Northwest  Coast  Indians  Boston  lUlicumSy 
or  Boston  people.  Englisli,  Scotch,  and  Irish  are  called 
King  George  people,  and  the  French,  Passaieux.  The 
derivation  of  this  last  term  I  do  not  understand,  but  it 
is  undoubtedly  an  Indian  corruption  of  some  Canadian 
French  patois  word.  This  Northwest  fur  trade  has  been 
gradually  taken  from  the  Ahiericans  by  that  grasping 
monopoly  and  incubus  on  all  attempts  at  American  en- 
terprise in  the  Territory,  the  Hudson  Bay  Company, 
who  will  be  noticed  more  at  length  in  another  chapter. 

Whenever  Kape  or  any  of  the  Queniult  people  came 
down  with  their  furs,  they  usually  called  at  my  place, 
as  it  was  convenient  for  them  to  stop  at  to  rest  them- 
selves before  they  proceeded  to  the  Columbia  Eiver, 
some  forty  miles  distant.  Kape  generally,  on  such  oc- 
casions, would  remain  all  night.  After  supper  he  would 
open  his  sacks  of  skins  and  display  the  rich  furs,  with 
the  expectation  of  inducing  me  to  trade ;  for,  if  he  could 
make  a  sale  in  the  Bay,  it  saved  him  the  trouble  of  a 
long  journey  to  Chenook  and  back.  However,  not  de- 
siring to  purch^e,  I  contented  myself  with  looking  over 
his  assortment,  with  the  desire  to  gain  information,  and 
to  see  the  variety  of  furs  found  along  the  coast.  He 
seldom  brought  any  others  than  the  sea  and  river  otter 
and  beaver,  but  occasionally  he  had  a  few  mink,  sable, 
silver  and  red  fox,  and  black  bear  skins. 

The  whole  coast  region  is  full  of  fiir  animals,  which 
have  wonderfully  increased  during  the  last  twelve  or  fif- 
teen years,  from  the  fact  that  the  Hudson  Bay  Company, 
having  turned  their  attention  to  agricultural  and  mill 
purposes  in  their  possessions  around  the  Columbia,  have 
not  held  out  inducements  to  the  Indians  to  procui'e  furs, 
being  more  inclined  to  require  their  services  in  catching 


THREE   YEARS   AT   SHOAL-WATER  BAY. 


97 


salmon,  or  working  among  the  lumber  or  on  the  farms, 
trusting  to  the  other  portions  of  their  vast  temtories  for 
their  supplies  of  fur;  hence  there  has  been  but  little 
trapping  or  hunting  in  the  whole  Territory  from  the  Co- 
lumbia to  Fuca  Straits,  and  wild  animals  have  increased 
very  fast  as  a  consequence. 


'■) 


,  '.N 


1 


Vi'^ 


CHAPTER  VII. 

Visit  to  the  Columbia  River. — Our  Troubles  while  crossing  the  Port- 
age.— Description  of  the  Beach  around  Baiter's  Bay  to  Chenook. — 
Scarborough's  Hill. — Captain  Scarborough. — The  Priest's  House  at 
Chenook. — Bill  M*Carty  or  Brandy  wine. — Salmon-fishing  '  at  Che- 
nook.—Splendid  View  of  Mount  Saint  Helen's. — Description  of  the 
Salmon  and  of  the  Fishery. — Indian  Customs  on  the  first  Appear- 
ance of  Salmon. — The  ))rc8ont  Remnant  of  the  Chenook  Tribe. — 
Description  of  Chenook  Village. — Its  favorable  Location. — Washing- 
ton Hall,  Esq.,  the  Postmaster. — Indian  Lodges. — A  Description  of 
the  method  of  building  them. — Our  Return  home,  and  the  funny 
Scenes  we  passed  through. — Old  Champ  and  his  Fish. 

Although  I  had  been  for  several  months  a  resident 
of  Shoal-water  Bay,  I  had  not  seen  the  Columbia,  and, 
having  an  opportunity,  I  started  in  a  sail-boat  on  Fri- 
day, June  3d,  in  company  with  Mr.  F.  Kotan  (the  owner 
of  a  schooner  then  loading  in  the  Bay,  and  who  was  go- 
ing to  Astoria  to  take  the  steamer  for  San  Francisco), 
John  W.  Champ,  and  a  young  man  named  Baldt.  It 
was  nearly  high  tide,  and  the  wind  was  blowing  a  fine 
breeze  from  the  west,  when  the  boat  with  the  three  indi- 
viduals came  up  the  little  river,  and  requested  me  to  go 
with  them.  I  was  not  long  getting  ready,  and  we  were 
soon  under  weigh,  going  along  'at  a  fine  rate.  Champ 
remarked  that,  with  the  breeze  we  then  had,  we  would 
reach  Wilson's  house  at  the  portage  before  sundown,  and 
then,  crossing  over  to  M'Carty's  house,  on  the  other  side 
of  the  portage,  could  take  a  canoe,  which  would  carry  us 

E 


■'  \ 


■■■'  I  ''..*! 


■■  p!f 


-  M 


i » 


I 


98 


THE   NORTHWEST   COAST;    OR, 


fm 


down  the  Wappalooche,  or  Chenook  River,  to  its  mouth, 
where  we  would  land  and  walk  to  Chenook  Beach.  As 
we  could  not  expect  to  perform  this  feat  that  night,  we 
proposed  stopping  at  M'Carty's,  and  start  early  in  the 
morning. 

We  had  a  very  pleasant  sail  for  seventeen  miles  till 
we  reached  Long  Island,  when  the  wind  began  to  die 
away,  and  by  the  time  we  reached  Round  Island,  at  the 
mouth  of  Bear  River,  it  fell  dead  calm,  and  we  were 
obliged  to  take  the  oars,  and  pull  up  the  river  against 
the  tide,  which  was  now  running  strong  ebb  We  had 
about  three  miled  to  go  before  reaching  Wiison's  house; 
but  it  was  now  past  sundown,  and  the  wind,  which  had 
been  from  the  west  and  northwest  all  day,  now  blew  from 
the  southeast  in  short  puffs,  with  every  indication  of 
rain.  As  night  closed  in,  it  grew  intensely  dark,  and  it 
was  with  difficulty  we  reached  the  landing  at  Wilson's, 
and  not  till  ten  o'clock. 

Before  we  were  all  ashore  it  began  to  rain,  and,  to 
crown  all,  we  found  the  house  closed,  the  family  having 
gone  to  Chenook  to  attend  the  fishery  for  salmon,  which 
had  just  commenced.  Rotan,  who  had  been  over  the 
portage  before  and  had  stopped  at  the  house,  knew  how 
to  open  the  door,  and  we  all  went  in ;  but  there  was  nei- 
ther wood  cut,  nor  axe  to  cut  with ;  so  we  were  obliged 
to  go  out  and  feel  round  under  the  trees  for  some  dry 
branches  and  chips.  While  engaged  in  this  occupation, 
old  Champ  slipped  on  a  clay  bank,  and  slid,  otter  fash- 
ion, plump  into  the  spring,  from  whence  he  emerged  wet, 
muddy,  and  angry.  However,  we  managed  to  get  some 
wood  and  make  a  roaring  blaze,  and,  while  old  Champ 
was  drying  his  clothes,  the  rest  of  us,  having  found  some 
salt  salmon  and  potatoes,  and  an  iron  pot,  made  out  to 
boil  a  mess  for  supper,  which  we  ate  with  a  good  appe- 
tite, and  then  lay  down  to  sleep,  Rotan  and  Baldt  sleep- 


THREE   TEARS  AT  SHOAL-WATER  BAY. 


99 


ing  in  a  "bed  which  was  in  the  front  room,  and  Champ 
and  myself  rolled  up  in  blankets  before  the  fire,  the  old 
man  having  taken  the  precaution  to  hang  his  clothes  up 
in  the  fireplace  to  dry,  where  also  the  others  had  set  their 
boots  and  placed  their  hats  for  the  same  purpose.  I  was 
tired,  and  slept  very  soundly  till  toward  morning,  when  I 
was  waked  up  by  a  stream  of  water  running  through  a 
hole  in  the  roof  directly  into  my  ear.  I  found  that  it 
was  storming  violently,  and  the  rain  pouring  down  in 
torrents.  Champ  declared  he  had  been  kept  awake  all 
night  by  a  bush-tailed  rat,  who  was  performing  a  waltz 
in  an  old  tin  baker  which  was  on  a  table  near  by.  The 
old  fellow,  however,  was  pretty  comfortable,  as  his  head 
was  out  of  the  wet.  Thinking  it  time  to  get  up,  he  reach- 
ed his  hand  into  the  fireplace  for  his  pants,  and  was  dis- 
gusted and  enraged  to  find  that  a  stream  of  water  had 
been  running  directly  through  them  and  into  his  boots, 
which  were  full.  The  fireplace  was  a  bed  of  mud.  The 
pot  of  fish  and  potatoes  left  from  our  supper  of  last 
night  was  spoiled,  and  the  boots  and  hats  of  Kotan  and 
Baldt  were  drenched.  I  had  slept  with  my  clothes  en, 
so  the  rain  had  not  troubled  me,  and  I  came  out  perfect- 
ly dry.  Although  we  were  far  from  a  merry  mood,  we 
could  not  help  laughing  at  the  intense  indignation  of 
Champ,  who  squeezed  the  water  from  his  pantaloons 
with  any  thing  but  expressions  of  pleasure.  As  it  was 
impossible  to  build  a  fire,  we  started  off  for  a  tramp  over 
the  portage  to  M*Carty's  house,  where  we  hoped  to  get 
some  breakfast.  The  road  was  the  one  made  by  Mr.  J. 
L.  Brown,  and  was  a  mere  cart-path,  full  of  stumps  and 
logg,  over  high  hills  and  down  deep  valleys,  soft  from  the 
rain,  and  nearly  knee^deep  with  mud  and  water.  Over 
this  trail  we  climbed,  and  slipped,  and  splashed,  and 
jumped,  till  finally  we  emerged  from  the  woods  at  M'Car- 
ty^s  house,  covered  with  mud,  and  wet  to  the  skin  from 


w?|,''''|h| 


h»  ' 


100 


THE   NORTHWEST   COAST;   OB, 


'I 


a  iii 


rain  and  the  wet  bushes  we  had  passed  through.  M'Car- 
ty  and  his  people  were  also  absent  at  Chenook,  catching 
salmon  ;  but  an  old  hump-backed  squaw  in  a  lodge  near 
by,  who  had  remained  to  take  care  of  the  pigs  and  chick- 
ens, gave  us  a  breakfast  of  broiled  fish,  cold  water,  and 
hard  bread,  while  we  dried  our  clothes  at  the  lodge  fire. 
While  waiting  for  the  tide,  which  was  out,  the  rain 
ceased,  and  the  wind,  changing  to  the  west,  gave  assur- 
ance of  a  pleasant  day ;  and  by  the  time  the  tide  was  up 
enough  to  float  the  canoe,  the  sun  shone  out  bright  and 
warm,  serving  to  cheer  our  spirits  and  dry  our  clothes, 
which  were  still  somewhat  damp,  notwithstanding  the 
smoke  and  heat  of  the  fire  in  the  lodge.  The  squaw 
carried  us  down  to  the  mouth  of  the  river,  where  we  land- 
ed at  the  house  of  Mr.  George  Dawson,  who  had,  like  the 
rest  of  the  settlers,  gone  to  Chenook  to  fish.  We  had 
now  to  walk  nine  miles  to  reach  the  village,  and  our  road 
lay  for  the  whole  distance  over  the  beach ;  but  the  tide 
rising  very  fast,  and  with  a  heavy  surf  from  the  effects 
of  the  storm  the  previous  evening,  we  were  obliged  to 
keep  high  up  among  the  drift  logs  and  loose  sand,  which 
impeded  our  progress,  so  that  we  did  not  reach  the  vil- 
lage till  late  in  the  afternoon. 

The  beach  from  the  Wappalooche  River  to  Chenook 
Point  forms  the  eastern  side  of  Baker's  Bay,  at  the  mouth 
of  the  Columbia  River.  The  view  from  this  beach,  look- 
ing westward,  is  directly  out  to  sea.  On  the  right,  in 
the  distance.  Cape  Disappointment,  a  bluff,  rocky  prom- 
ortory,  rears  its  weather-beaten  and  forbidding-looking 
front,  and  to  the  left  the  low  sand-spit,  called  Point 
Adams,  stretches  far  out  into  the  river,  while  midway  be- 
tween the  two  capes  lies  a  sand-island  covered  with  drift 
logs,  timber,  and  the  debris  of  the  saw-mills  up  the  river. 
All  along  the  beach  we  were  walking,  the  drift  stuff  of 
the  river  formed  a  continued  row  at  high-water  mark, 


THREE    YEARS  AT  SHOAL-WATER  BAY. 


101 


where  it  had  ]   en  thrown  hj  the  waves,  and  left  by  the 
receding  tide.  - 

Huge  trees  that  had  been  torn  up  by  the  roots,  timber 
that  had  been  prepared  for  the  mill,  logs  of  spruce,  fir, 
cedar,  and  ash,  sycamore  and  cotton  wood,  with  boards, 
and  joist,  and  scantling,  were  mixed  in  most  inextricable 
confusion,  and  in  a  manner  that  nothing  but  the  waves 
of  ocean  could  have  effected.  As  we  approached  Che- 
nook  Point,  the  tide  had  fallen  enough  to  enable  us  to 
walk  on  firmer  sand,  and  far  enough  down  to  clear  all 
the  drift  stuff.  As  we  turned  the  Point,  the  beautiful 
green  hill  known  as  Scarborough's  Hill  presented  itself 
to  our  view.  This  hill,  which  is  one  of  the  most  prom- 
inent objects  seen  while  entering  the  Columbia,  and 
which  has  the  appearance  of  a  green  field,  is  a  clearing 
which  has  been  made  either  by  accident  or  design,  and 
is  thickly  covered  with  fern.  Captain  James  Scarbor- 
ough, the  owner  of  the  claim,  had  for  many  years  been 
in  the  employ  of  the  Hudson  Bay  Company  as  master 
of  one  of  their  vessels  trading  on  the  coast,  and,  having 
left  their  service  and  taken  a  claim  at  Chenook,  was  offi- 
ciating as  river  pilot  to  the  mail  steamers  from  Califor- 
nia. The  captain  had  a  fine  farm,  with  excellent  fruit- 
trees,  and  a  large  herd  of  cattle.  Like  all  old  sea-cap- 
tains, he  was  fond  of  his  own  opinion,  and  was  looked 
upon  as  a  sort  of  oracle  by  the  neighbors,  and  particularly 
by  those  who,  like  himself,  had  formerly  been  in  the  Com- 
pany's employ.  Although  he  claimed  to  be  an  American 
citizen,  as  did  also  all  these  former  employes  of  the 
Company,  yet  they  never  could  forget  the  time  when  the 
Hudson  Bay  people  held  undisputed  sway,  and  they 
looked  upon  the  advent  of  the  trading,  swapping  Yan- 
kees from  across  the  plains  with  peculiar  aversion,  and 
lost  no  occasion  to  prejudice  the  minds  of  the  Indians 
against  the  Boston  tillicums,  as  all  Americans  are  desig- 


}' 


■if it  ^ 


^n, 


"v&^ 


102 


THE  NORTHWEST  COAST;    OK, 


■'  'if! 


iiilil 


nated.  Still  the  old  captain  was  a  good  man.  He  had 
received  a  good  education,  and  always  knew  when  he 
met  a  gentleman,  and  to  any  such  he  was  at  all  times 
most  courteous.  He  had  good  cause  for  his  antipathy 
against  the  American  population,  having  been  swindled 
by  some  sharpers  out  of  large  sums  of  money  at  differ- 
ent times. 

Passing  by  Captain  Scarborough's  house,  we  next 
came  to  the  dwelling  of  the  Catholic  priest,  called  by  the 
Indians  Le  Plate,  being  as  near  as  they  can  pronounce 
the  French  Le  Pretre.  This  priest,  who  was  a  French- 
man, had  resided  at  Chenook  for  several  years,  devoting 
his  time  to  the  conversion  of  the  Indians,  but  with  in- 
different success,  the  whole  known  fruits  of  his  labors 
consisting  in  the  various  names  he  had  baptized  them 
with.  This  fact  he  afterward  acknowledged  in  a  letter 
written  by  him,  on  his  return  to  France,  to  the  post- 
master of  Chenook. 

We  now  drew  near  the  village  proper,  which  consisted 
of  some  twelve  or  fourteen  houses,  occupied  by  whites, 
and  nearly  the  same  number  of  Indian  lodges.  It  was 
in  the  beginning  of  the  salmon  season,  and  every  one, 
from  the  priest  to  the  Indians,  was  engaged  in  the  fishery. 
Champ,  who  was  our  pilot,  took  us  directly  to  M*Carty*s 
quarters,  who  had  a  nice  zinc  house,  and  was  driving  a 
smart  business  in  the  fishery.  M'Carty  soon  had  an  ex- 
cellent meal  of  fresh  salmon  set  before  us,  which,  with 
hard  bread,  and  coffee  with  milk — a  luxury  I  had  not 
seen  for  months — enabled  us  to  suppress  our  feelings  of 
hunger  which  our  walk  on  the  beach  had  produced.. 

Old  Bill  M'Carty,  or,  as  he  was  called,  old  Brandy- 
wine,  from  having  formerly  sailed  in  the  Brandywine 
frigate,  had  lived  for  several  years  on  the  Columbia  Riv- 
er, and  having  married  an  Indian  girl,  a  daughter  of  old 
Carcowan,  chief  of  the  Chehalis  Indians,  he  had  taken  a 


THBEE  YEARS  AT  SHOAL-WATER  BAT. 


103 


claim  at  the  portage  we  had  just  creased,  where  he  had 
a  fine  farm  cleared  and  planted.  M'Carty  was  a  very 
hospitable  man,  and  no  one  was  ever  refused  by  him  ei- 
ther a  night's  lodging  or  a  hearty  meal.  He  was,  how- 
ever, shortly  after  this  time,  drowned  by  the  upsetting 
of  a  canoe,  leaving  a  little  daughter  some  ten  or  twelve 
years  old. 

After  we  had  eaten  our  supper  and  smoked  our  pipes, 
M'Carty  advised  us  to  go  to  bed,  so  as  to  be  up  in  the 
morning  to  witness  the  salmon  fishing.  We  readily 
complied  with  his  suggestion,  as  we  were  both  tired  and 
sleepy. 

The  next  morning,  at  early  dawn,  we  were  aroused  by 
Mac,  who  was  hallooing  to  his  Indians  to  get  ready  for 
work.  I  went  out  and  perched  myself  on  a  log  that 
overlooked  the  busy  scene.  Looking  up  the  river,  al- 
most in  a  line  due  east.  Mount  St.  Helen's  reared  its 
snowy  head  high  in  the  region  of  the  clouds.  The  rap- 
idly increasing  morning  rendered  it  distinctly  visible,  al- 
though a  hundred  miles  in  the  interior. 

And  now  the  whole  population  of  the  village  was 
astir — white  men  and  Indians,  squaws,  children,  and 
dogs — all  were  awake  and  eager  to  enter  upon  the  labors 
of  the  morning,  and  long  before  the  sun  was  up  all  were 
intently  engaged. 

The  Chenook  salmon  commences  to  enter  the  river 
the  last  of  May,  and  is  most  plentiful  about  the  20th 
of  June.  It  is,  without  doubt,  the  finest  salmon  in  the 
world,  and,  being  taken  so  near  the  ocean,  has  its  fine 
flavor  in  perfection.  The  salmon,  when  entering  a  river 
to  spawn,  do  not  at  once  proceed  to  the  head-waters,  but 
lingfjr  round  the  mouth  for  several  weeks  before  they 
are  prepared  to  go  farther  up.  It  has  been  supposed 
that  they  can  not  go  immediately  from  the  ocean  to  the 
cold  fresh  water,  but  remain  for  a  time  where  the  water 


.    t't'i 


104 


THE  NORTHWEST  COAST;    OR, 


:''!';! 


is  brackish  before  they  venture  on  so  great  a  change. 
Be  that  as  it  may,  one  thing  is  certain,  that  the  early 
salmon  taken  at  Chenook  are  far  superior  in  flavor  to 
any  that  are  subsequently  taken  farther  up  the  river, 
and  this  excellence  is  so  generally  acknowledged  that 
Chenook  salmon  command  a  higher  price  than  any  other. 

These  salmon  resemble  those  of  the  Kennebec  and 
Penobscot  Rivers  in  Maine,  but  are  much  larger  and  fat- 
ter. I  have  seen  those  that  weighed  eighty  pounds ;  and 
one  gentleman  informed  me  that  twelve  salmon  he  had 
in  his  smoke-house  averaged  sixty-five  pounds  each,  the 
largest  weighing  seventy-eight  pounds.  The  Chenook 
fishery  is  carried  on  by  means  of  nets.  These  are  made 
by  the  whites  of  the  twine  prepared  for  the  purpose,  and 
sold  as  salmon-twine,  and  rigged  with  floats  and  sinkers 
in  the  usual  style.  The  nets  of  the  Indians  are  made 
of  a  twine  spun  by  themselves  from  the  fibres  of  spruce 
roots  prepared  for  tlie  purpose,  or  from  a  species  of  grass 
brought  from  the  north  by  the  Indians.  It  is  very- 
strong,  and  answers  the  purpose  admirably.  Peculiar- 
shaped  sticks  of  dry  cedar  are  used  for  floats,  and  the 
weights  at  the  bottom  are  round  beach  pebbles,  about  a 
pound  each,  notched  to  keep  them  from  slipping  from 
their  fastenings,  and  securely  held  by  withes  of  cedar 
firmly  twisted  and  woven  into  the  foot-rope  of  the  net. 

The  nets  vary  in  size  from  a  hundred  feet  long  to  a 
hundred  fathoms,  or  six  hundred  feet,  and  from  seven  to 
sixteen  feet  deep. 

Three  persons  are  required  to  work  a  net,  except  the 
very  large  ones,  which  require  more  help  to  land  them. 
The  time  the  fishing  is  commenced  is  at  the  top  of  high- 
water,  just  as  the  tide  begins  to  ebb.  A  short  distance 
from  the  shore  the  current  is  very  swift,  and  with  its  aid 
these  nets  are  hauled.  Two  persons  get  into  the  canoe, 
on  the  stem  of  which  is  coiled  the  net  on  a  frame  made 


'P3 


*iik^ 


;ance 

s 


V        ' 


^.. 


'^. 


!4i. 


•I 


i.      :■« 


I'V^ 


^''■W     ^  ' 


m 


\. 


'.*iC!,'^% 


THREE  YEARS  AT  SHOAL-WATER  BAT. 


107 


for  the  purpose,  resting  on  the  canoe's  gunwale.  She  is 
then  paddled  up  the  stream,  close  in  to  the  beach,  where 
the  current  is  not  so  strong.  A  tow-line,  with  a  wooden 
float  attached  to  it,  is  then  thrown  to  the  third  person, 
who  remains  on  the  beach,  and  immediately  the  two  in 
the  canoe  paddle  her  into  the  rapid  stream  as  quickly  as 
they  can,  throwing  out  the  net  all  the  time.  When  this 
is  all  out,  they  paddle  ashore,  having  the  end  of  the  other 
tow-line  made  fast  to  the  canoe.  Before  all  this  is  ac- 
complished, the  net  is  carried  down  the  stream,  by  the 
force  of  the  ebb,  about  the  eighth  of  a  mile,  the  man  on 
the  shore  walking  along  slowly,  holding  on  to  the  line  till 
the  others  are  ready,  when  all  haul  in  together.  As  it 
gradually  closes  on  the  fish,  great  caution  must  be  used 
to  prevent  them  from  jumping  over ;  and  as  every  sal- 
mon has  to  be  knocked  on  the  head  with  a  club  for  the 
purpose,  which  every  canoe  carries,  it  requires  some  skill 
and  practice  to  perform  this  feat  so  as  not  to  bruise  or 
disfigure  the  fish. 

The  fishermen  are  not  always  lucky.  Sometimes  the 
net  is  hauled  repeatedly  without  success ;  but  in  seasons 
of  plenty,  great  hauls  are  often  made,  and  frequently  a 
hundred  fine  fish  of  various  sizes  are  taken  at  one  cast 
of  the  seine.  It  happened  to  be  a  good  day  while  we 
were  there,  and  M*Carty  caught  about  forty,  which  was 
considered  good  fishing  for  so  early  in  the  season.  The 
others  did  quite  as  well,  some  even  getting  more  than  he 
did. 

It  was  formerly  the  custom  among  the  Chenook  In- 
dians, on  the  appearance  of  the  first  salmon,  to  have  a 
grand  feast,  with  dancing  and  other  performances  suited 
to  the  occasion;  but  the  tribe  has  now  dwindled  down 
to  a  mere  handful,  and  they  content  themselves  simply 
with  taking  out  the  salmon's  heart  as  soon  as  caught — 
a  ceremony  they  religiously  observe,  fearful  lest  by  any 


w 


108 


THE  NORTHWEST  COAST;    OR,    ^^^ 


means  a  dog  should  eat  one,  in  which  case  they  think 
they  can  catch  no  more  iish  that  season.  The  fish  taken 
by  the  vvhites  are  served  in  the  same  manner  by  the  In- 
dians in  their  employ. 

As  soon  as  the  tide  has  done  running  ebb,  tlie  fishing 
for  the  day  is  over,  and  the  Indians,  after  selecting  what 
they  wish  for  themselves,  take  the  rest  to  the  whites  to 
trade  off  for  different  articles,  whisky  in  all  cases  holding 
the  pre-eminence ;  but,  as  the  United  States  law  is  very 
stringent,  and  attended  with  a  severe  penalty,  it  is  very 
difficult  for  them  to  get  liquor  at  Chenook,  although  they 
can  readily  get  it  across  the  river  at  Astoria.  They  will 
manage  some  way  or  other  to  get  it,  even  if  they  have 
to  go  a  hundred  miles  for  a  supply.  During  the  fishing 
season  a  good  deal  of  drunkenness  may  be  seen  among 
them,  and  for  the  most  part  they  are  a  miserable,  whis- 
ky-drinking set  of  vagabonds.  However,  the  race  of  the 
Chenooks  is  nearly  run.  From  a  large  and  powerful 
tribe  in  the  days  of  Comcomly,  the  one-eyed  chief,  they 
have  dwindled  down  to  about  a  hundred  individuals, 
men,  women,  and  children. 

We  did  not  wait  till  the  fishing  was  over  for  our 
breakfast,  but,  when  the  sun  got  up  high  enough  to  shine 
clear  above  the  peak  of  Mount  St.  Helen's,  old  Brandy- 
wine  called  us  up  from  the  beach,  and  gave  us  a  glorious 
repast  of  salmon,  just  out  of  the  water,  cooked  in  real 
Indian  style  by  his  Indian  wife.  .  >.. 

The  choice  part  of  a  salmon  with  the  Indians  is  the 
head,  which  is  stuck  on  a  stick,  and  slowly  roasted  by 
the  fire.  The  other  part  is  cut  into  large,  flat  slices, 
with  skewers  stuck  through  to  keep  them  spread ;  then, 
placed  in  a  split  stick,  as  a  palm-leaf  fan  is  placed  in  its 
handle,  with  the  ends  of  this  stick  or  handle  projecting 
far  enough  beyond  the  fish  to  be  tied  with  a  wisp  of 
beach  grass  to  secure  the  whole,  this  stick  is  thrust  in 


is  the 
ited  by 

slices, 
then, 
d  in  its 


THREE   YEARS  AT  SHOAI^ WATER  BAY. 


109 


the  sand  firmly  and  at  the  right  distance  from  the  fire, 
80  that  the  fish  can  roast  without  scorching.  Clam" 
shells  are  placed  underneath  to  catcli  the  oil,  which  will 
run  from  these  rich,  fat  salmon  almost  in  a  stream.  Nei- 
tlier  pepper,  salt,  nor  butter  were  allowed  during  this  cu- 
linary operation,  nor  did  I  find  tliey  were  needed ;  the 
delicate  and  delicious  flavor  would  have  been  spoiled  by 
the  addition  of  either. 

I  was  so  much  pleased  with  this  style  of  cooking  sal- 
mon that  I  never  wish  to  have  it  cooked  in  any  other 
form,  either  boiled  and  served  with  melted  butter,  or  fried 
with  salt  pork,  or  baked  with  spices.  The  simpler  a  fat 
salmon  can  be  cooked,  the  better ;  it  retains  its  flavor 
with  perfection,  and  is  more  easily  digested ;  and  the  only 
style  is  to  roast  it  before  an  open  fire. 

After  breakfast  we  went  to  the  Hudson  Bay  Company 
V  trading  store,  kept  by  their  very  polite  and  hospitable 
Nugent,  Mr.  Roc  Ducheney.  Mr.  Rotan  here  purchased  a 
i^w  outfit  to  replace  his  damaged  garments,  which  were 
about  spoiled  during  our  adventures  on  the  portage,  and, 
together  with  Champ,  went  across  the  River  to  Astoria, 
where  he  was  to  take  the  steamer  for  San  Francisco. 

Baldt  and  myself  had  nothing  else  to  do  but  to  stroll 
around  and  see  the  place. 

Chenook  is  situated  on  the  north  bank  of  the  Colum- 
bia, near  its  mouth,  where  the  river  widens  out  into  Ba- 
ker's Bay.  From  Point  EUice  to  Chenook  Point,  a  dis- 
tance of  about  two  miles,  the  land  is  little  more  than  a 
sand-beach,  from  half  a  mile  to  a  mile  wide  in  its  widest, 
and  from  twenty  to  fifty  rods  at  its  narrowest  place,  run- 
ning all  the  way  under  the  bluff  of  a  range  of  hills  ter- 
minating at  Chenook  Point  with  the  high  green  hill 
known  as  Scarborough's  Hill  or  Head. 

This  is  the  head-quarters  of  the  once  powerful  tribe 
of  Chenook  Indians,  and  it  was  here  that  their  chief, 


1 


»    f^n 


■w 


4> 


./K 


■'■> 


•;4, 


^% 


■i*  it,*' 


*; 


9^ 


110 


THE  NORTHWEST  COAST;    OR, 


Comcomly,  celebrated  in  the  annals  of  Astoria,  and  men- 
tioned by  Ross  Cox,  Lewis  and  Clarke,  and  Irving,  held 
his  sway.  The  tribe  then  was  numerous;  but  those 
scourges  to  the  human  race,  measles  and  small-pox,  have 
swept  tiiem  off  in  such  numbers  that  at  present  they 
number  but  little  over  a  hundred  persons,  and  tliese  are 
a  depraved,  licentious,  drunken  set,  of  but  little  use  to 
themselves,  and  of  no  account  to  any  one  else.  Chenook 
has  always  been  celebrated  for  its  salmon  fishery,  and  it 
was  to  prosecute  this  business  that  induced  the  whites 
to  first  settle  tliere.  It  is,  however,  so  favorably  situated 
as  a  place  of  landing  or  debarkation  for  persons  ha\  in? 
business  either  at  Astoria  or  up  the  river,  that  it  is  must 
generally  the  point  resorted  to  by  the  settlers  of  8hoal- 
water  Bay,  and  has  grown  to  be  a  little  villag*^  of  con- 
siderable importance ;  and  no  one  seems  to  take  a  great- 
er interest  in  its  welfare  than  the  worthy  postmaster, 
Washington  Hall,  Esq.,  who  was  one  of  the  first  to  set- 
tle there. 

The  little  soil  that  lus  gathered  on  the  sands  is  very 
rich,  and  yields  pood  crops  of  garden  vegetables,  and, 
except  in  these  cleared  patches,  is  covered  with  bushes 
and  young  trees,  thriftily  growing  to  the  edge  of  high- 
water  mark. 

The  Indian  lodges,  like  all  that  I  have  seen  on  the 
Northwest  Coast,  are  made  of  boards  split  from  the  ce- 
dar. The  Indians  perfonn  this  operation  by  means  of 
little  wedges,  and  manifest  a  good  deal  -^f  dexterity  and 
skill;  for,  if  the  wedgtr'  are  not  placed  pro(>eiIy.;the  board 
will  be  full  of  twists  and  creeps.  Th.  !;>1  ;ott  a e  strong- 
ly and  comfortably  made  by  first  setting  posts  firmly  into 
the  ground  four  or  five  feet  high,  one  at  each  comer.  The 
i:*p«  of  these  posts  are  notched,  and  poles  laid  along  to 
foi'ii  the  saves.  The  ridge-pole  is  supported  at  its  ends 
hy  tiiC  boards  of  the  outside,  which  are  placed  upright, 


THREE   YEARS   AT  SHOAL-WATER  BAY. 


Ill 


tiv^  in  the  centre  by  posts  elevnted  for  the  purpose. 
I  torn  the  eaves  to  the  ridge-pole  raflcrs  are  laid,  and  on 
these  the  boards  of  the  roof  aw  laid,  with  fcHther-cdges 
overlapping  each  other  to  k'  od  the  la.n,  and  secured  by 
withes  to  the  rafters  to  keep  from  blowing  off  ui  goles  of 
wind.  The  sides  and  ends  are  formed  of  ujjripht  boards 
driven  into  the  soil,  with  overlapping  edges,  and  with 
chink  and  crevices  stopped  up  with  moss,  Tlie  top 
'  d'  of  the  roof  next  the  ridge-pole  are  movable,  so  as 
*c  be  asily  opened  from  the  inside  to  admit  a  free  paa- 
;ge  for  the  smoke.  All  round  the  interior  of  the  lodge, 
next  the  side,  are  arranged  sleeping-berths,  similar  to 
those  on  board  vessels,  and  in  front  of  these  berths  is  a 
raised  platform, -five  or  six  inches  high,  on  which  mats 
are  spread  to  sit  or  lie  upon.  All  the  rest  of  the  cenf'« 
of  the  lodge  floor  is  used  for  fire  and  for  cooking  pur- 
poses. Overhead,  poles  are  laid,  on  which  salmon,  ber- 
ries, or  any  thing  else  they  wish  to  preserve  is  placed  to 
be  dried  by  the  smoke.  At  one  end  is  the  door,  which 
is  usually  a  round  or  oval  hole,  just  big  enough  to  creep 
through,  and  secured  by  a  door  made  of  a  single  piece 
of  board,  which  hangs  loose  by  a  string,  like  a  sort  of 
pendulum,  and  is  sure  to  close  of  itself  after  any  ingress 
or  egress.  Some  of  these  lodges  are  very  large,  and  can 
contain  several  families.  They  are  very  comfortable  hab- 
itations, and  are  often  used  by  the  white  settlers  while 
building  their  own  houses. 

Baldt  and  myself  went  into  several  of  these,  to  see  the 
method  the  Indians  adopted  to  cure  their  salmon.  In 
all  cases  the  women  perform  this  duty.  The  salmon  is 
split  down  the  back,  so  as  to  separate  the  head,  back- 
bone, ribs,  and  tail  from  the  rest  of  the  body.  The  back- 
bone, which  has  a  large  portion  of  the  fish  adhering  to  it, 
is  generally  eaten  first,  and  is  cooked  either  by  boiling  or 
roasting ;  the  heads  and  tails  are  strung  together  and 


.V  ..f 


112 


THE  NORTHWEST  COAST;    OR, 


dried.  The  rest  of  the  fish  is  sliced  in  thin  wafers,  and 
is  also  dried  in  the  smoke  without  salt.  When  perfectly 
cured,  it  is  packed  in  baskets  for  winter's  use  or  for 
trading,  and  stored  in  a  dry  place.  For  trading  with 
the  interior  Indians,  the  salmon  is  frequently  pounded 
up  fine,  and  firmly  pressed  into  baskets  of  ten  or  twelve 
pounds  each.  While  the  Indians  are  engaged  in  curing 
salmon,  or  when  they  are  boiling  the  blubber  of  a  whale 
or  seal,  they  are  as  necessarily  dirty  as  the  crew  of  a 
whale-ship  or  butchers  in  a  slaughter-house ;  and  at  such 
times,  casual  visitors  form  an  opinion  that  they  are  a 
filthy,  greasy  set,  and  we  find  many  writers  willing  to 
assert  that  they  regularly  anoint  their  bodies  with  fish- 
oil  and  red  ochre.  Such,  however,  is  not  the  fact.  As 
soon  as  their  work  is  done,  they  wash  themselves,  and 
generally  bathe  two  or  three  times  a  day.  All  the  paint- 
ing or  oiling  I  have  ever  seen  them  do  is  to  rub  a  little 
grease  and  vermilion,  or  red  ochre,  between  their  hands, 
and  then  smear  it  over  their  faces.  The  women  will 
also  paint  the  head,  in  the  line  of  the  parting  of  the  hair, 
with  dry  vermilion,  and  give  an  extra  touch  to  their  eye- 
brows ;  but  1  never  have  seen  either  men  or  women  put 
oil  or  grease  of  any  kind  on  their  bodies.  The  women 
tattoo  their  legs  and  arms  with  dotted  lines,  but  without 
any  particular  figure  or  design  ;  they  are  also  fond,  dur- 
ing the  blackberry  season,  of  dotting  their  limbs  with 
blackberry  juice.  The  tattooing  is  done  with  charcoal 
and  water,  and  pricked  into  the  skin  with  needles.  I 
very  seldom  saw  a  man  with  tattoo-marks  on  him,  and  it 
appears  more  as  a  sort  of  pastime — like  sailors  on  board 
ship — than  any  sort  of  system  or  religious  ceremony. 
Whatever  may  have  been  the  former  practice  among  the 
Chenook  Indians  relative  to  personal  decoration,  they 
certainly  have  relinquished  the  custom,  and  are  only  anx- 
ious at  present  to  get  white  people's  garments  to  clothe 


THREE   YEARS   AT   SHOAL-WATER   BAY. 


113 


themselves  with,  wearing,  as  their  only  ornament,  a  sort 
of  band  of  black  ostrich  feathers  round  their  caps,  which 
they  purchase  of  the  Hudson  Bay  Company. 

As  Champ  did  not  return  from  Astoria  till  the  after- 
noon, too  late  to  start  for  our  return  to  Shoal-water  Bay, 
it  was  agreed  to  be  ready  early  in  the  morning.  We 
had  all  made  purchases,  and  as  to  our  own  loads  Champ 
wished  to  add  two  or  three  hundred  pounds  of  salt  sal- 
mon, we  hired  two  Indians  to  take  us  in  a  canoe  to 
M'Carty's  portage,  where  old  Mac  had  told  us  we  might 
find  his  horse  and  pack-saddle,  both  of  which  we  could 
use  to  transport  our  things  over  to  Wilson's  landing. 

The  next  morning,  after  an  early  breakfast,  we 
launched  the  canoe,  and,  having  made  room  for  an  old 
gentleman  who  was  waiting  to  go  to  the  Bay  (Mr.  Sam- 
uel Woodward,  Sen.),  and  getting  all  our  things  stowed, 
we  began  to  look  aip  our  Indians,  and  found  tliose  wor- 
thies quite  drunk ;  but  Champ,  who  officiated  as  master 
of  ceremonies,  soon  got  them  into  the  canoe,  one  at  the 
head  and  the  other  at  the  stern.  One  of  these  savages 
was  old  Toke,  wlio,  with  his  people,  had  been  some  time 
at  Chenook,  and  the  other  a  powerful  fellow  named  Yan- 
cumux,  who  lived  in  Baker's  Bay,  and  who  owned  the 
canoe.  We  paddled  out  into  the  stream,  and  were  rap- 
idly carried  by  the  swiftly-ebbing  tide  to  Chenook  Point, 
and  from  thence  slowly  made  our  way  to  the  mouth  of 
the  Wappalooche  River,  which  we  entered ;  and  as  the 
tide  by  that  time  was  too  low  for  us  to  go  up,  we  went 
ashore  at  the  lodge  of  an  Indian  named  Sal-leel,  who  had 
been  catching  sturgeon,  from  which  he  prepared  us  a  very 
palatable  meal. 

As  the  tide  rose  we  proceeded  up  the  stream.  There 
were  two  creeks,  which  joined  near  M'Carty's  house, 
forming  one,  and,  at  certain  stages  of  the  tide,  either  of 
them  could  be  used.     Champ  insisted  on  going  up  the 


WM 


.3 


..m 

fit,, 


■■  'fif^ 


iKi 


.» 


J,^ 


k^^ 


114 


THE   NORTHWEST   COAST;   OR, 


N 


i-f 


I 


first  one  we  came  to,  but  the  Indians  objected  on  account 
of  a  log  which  lay  directly  across,  a  short  distance  up. 
But  Gliamp  was  determined ;  so  on  we  went  till  we 
came  to  the  snag,  which  lay  in  such  a  manner  that  we 
could  neither  go  under  or  over  it.  The  Indians  refused 
to  go  back,  saying  that  they  would  remain  till  the  tide 
rose,  or,  if  we  would  help,  they  would  put  the  canoe  over 
the  log.  This  was  a  feat  we  all  considered  impossible, 
for  the  canoe,  with  all  our  things,  weighed  over  a  ton ; 
so  we  decided  to  go  ashore  and  walk  to  M'Carty's  house, 
where  we  would  wait  for  tne  canoe. 

As  we  were  going  ashore,  Yancumux  asked  me  if  I 
was  afraid.  I  told  him  I  was  not,  but  I  had  no  desire 
to  sit  in  the  canoe  with  old  Toke  and  himself  waiting 
for  the  tide.  He  said  I  would  not  have  to  wait  long,  as 
he  was  going  to  put  the  canoe  over  the  log  himself.  I 
was  curious  to  see  the  operation,  and  consented  to  wait. 
Both  the  Indians  stripped  themselves  and  jumped  into 
the  water,  which  was  only  a  few  inches  deep,  but  the 
mud  was  soft,  and  they  sank  nearly  to  their  waists  in  it. 
They  placed  themselves  at  the  bow  and  stern ;  and,  as 
the  bottom  of  the  canoe,  like  all  those  of  Chenook,  was 
flat  and  smooth,  they  worked  her  gradually  on  the  soft, 
greasy  mud,  up  the  side  of  the  bank,  tUl  she  was  nearly 
as  high  as  the  log.  The  mud  here  was  a  little  firmer, 
and  I  took  hold  and  helped  them,  when,  with  a  powerful 
jerk,  we  started  her,  and  away  she  launched  over  the 
log,  and  down  the  other  side  into  the  water,  the  Indians 
yelling  and  laughing  all  the  time.  The  uproar  caused 
Champ  and  Baldt  to  come  and  see  what  was  the  matter, 
and  they  were  perfectly  astonished  at  the  wonderful  feat 
of  strength  performed  by  those  two  half-drunken  In- 
dians. 

While  the  tide  was  rising  enough  to  enable  us  to  get 
to  the  landing-place,  we  left  the  Indians  and  canoe  to 


THREE   YEARS   AT  SHOAL-WATER  BAY. 


116 


hunt  up  the  old  squaw  who  had  the  key  of  the  house 
where  the  pack-saddle  was. 

After  a  long  search,  we  found  her,  with  two  other 
squaws,  picking  berries,  and  soon  had  her  back  to  the 
house  and  the  saddle  ready :  but,  while  we  were  hunt- 
ing for  her,  a  couple  of  Indians  had  come  from  Slioal- 
water  Bay,  bringing  some  whisky  with  them,  which  they 
had  given  to  our  Indians,  whom  we  found  quite  drunk 
again.  They,  however,  started  out  for  the  horse,  who 
was  quietly  feeding  in  the  meadow.  They  could  not 
catch  him,  after  chasing  him  round  for  an  hour.  I  told 
Champ  I  would  wait  no  longer,  but,  with  Baldt  and  old 
Mr.  Woodward,  would  take  what  we  could  pack  on  our 
backs,  and  go  over  the  portage  to  Wilson's  house,  where 
we  would  clean  out  the  boat  and  get  supper  ready. 

The  road  had  dried  up  since  we  had  passed  over  it, 
and  we  found  no  difficulty  in  reaching  Wilson's.  As  it 
was  still  daylight,  we  had  time  to  clean  the  boat  and  get 
our  supper  ready.  We  waited  till  long  after  dark  for 
Champ,  who  had  not  yet  made  his  appearance,  when, 
getting  tired,  we  ate  our  supper,  and,  while  smoking  our 
pipes  preparatory  to  going  to  bed,  heard  the  voices  of 
Indians  singing.  Baldt  remarked  that  Champ  must  have 
pressed  some  new  recruits  into  his  service,  for  Toke  and 
Yancumux  were  not  in  a  condition,  when  we  left  them, 
to  be  very  tuneful.  The  singers  soon  came  in,  and 
proved  to  be  a  couple  of  squaws  that  Champ  had  hired 
to  help  him  pack  his  fish.  He  came  in  a  few  minutes 
afterward,  and,  as  soon  as  he  could  get  breath,  related 
that  he  had  loaded  the  two  Indians  with  the  fish,  but, 
after  they  had  proceeded  a  quarter  of  a  mile,  they  threw 
down  their  loads,  and  using  them  as  pillows,  were  soon 
sound  asleep.  The  old  fellow's  outcries  and  frantic  at- 
tempts to  wake  them  had  attracted  the  attention  of  the 
squaws,  who  were  in  the  woods  picking  berries,  and  they 


"I 


■I' 

HDRT 


h  i. 


^'  H 


116 


THE  NORTHWEST  COAST;   OR, 


1  ^1 


went  to  find  out  the  cause  of  the  uproar,  when  Champ 
hired  them,  and  left  the  two  men  fast  asleep. 

We  did  not  have  a  very  pleasant  night,  for  no  sooner 
had  we  lain  down  than  the  house  was  filled  with  swarms 
of  gnats  and  sand-fiies,  that  filled  our  hair,  nose,  ears, 
and  eyes,  and  stung  us  so  that  sleep  was  impossible, 
and  we  were  glad  at  early  dawn  to  get  into  the  boat  and 
start  down  the  river  for  Shoal-water  Bay. 

It  was  a  glorious  morning,  rendered  doubly  delightful 
by  the  songs  of  myriads  of  birds,  who  filled  the  air  with 
their  sweet  notes.  As  we  proceeded  down  the  stream, 
we  roused  great  flocks  of  water-fowl — swans,  geese,  and 
ducks  of  various  kinds — which  whirled  away  with  a 
mighty  rushing  sound,  alighting  a  short  distance  in  ad- 
vance, to  be  again  and  again  startled  as  we  proceeded  on 
our  course.  Every  where  the  paths  of  elk  and  deer 
could  be  seen,  where  they  had  broke  through  and  beat 
down  the  sedge  on  the  river  banks  as  they  had  crossed 
the  stream.  Turning  a  sharp  angle  in  the  river,  we 
came  suddenly  on  a  big  black  bear,  who  was  seated  on 
an  old  spruce  stump  that  overhung  the  stream.  In  his 
huiTy  and  fright  he  slipped,  and  fell  some  ton  feet,  with 
a  great  splash,  into  the  water,  out  of  which  he  scrambled 
with  some  trouble,  and  disappeared  in  the  forest.  We 
had  no  fire-arms  with  us,  or  we  could  have  shot  plenty 
of  game. 

We  ran  down  the  river  and  bay  with  the  ebb  tide  in 
fine  style,  with  every  prospect  of  a  quick  trip,  till  we 
were  nearly  half  way  across,  when  Champ,  who  was  pi- 
lot, ran  us  high  and  dry  on  a  sand-bank,  where  we  had 
to  remain  six  hours  for  the  returning  flood.  While 
waiting  here,  we  amused  ourselves  by  gathering  oysters 
and  clams,  and  in  tracing  out  the  course  of  the  channel, 
which  at  low  tide  is  distinctly  visible  and  easily  marked, 
I  was  not  sOiry  for  the  opportunity  of  learning  the  right 


THREE   YEAES  AT   SHOAL-WATER  BAY. 


117 


way  to  navigate  up  and  down  the  Bay,  and  I  never  aft- 
erward got  aground,  although  almost  constantly  cruising 
about  the  Bay  and  creeks. 

There  is  no  difficulty  at  present  for  persons  wishing 
to  visit  Shoal-water  Bay,  as  usually  boats  can  be  had  at 
the  portage,  or  Indians  can  be  liired  at  Chenook  who 
will  go  through.  This  is  the  best  method  of  traveling 
in  any  Indian  country ;  that  is  to  say,  always,  whatever 
may  be  the  party,  have  some  Indians  in  the  company, 
who  are  useful  as  guides  or  servants,  and  in  a  new  coun- 
try are  far  better  pilots  than  most  of  the  white  men  that 
can  be  obtained. 

As  soon  as  the  tide  had  risen  enough  to  float  our  boat, 
we  made  sail,  and  with  a  fair  wind  reached  our  quarters, 
not  a  little  pleased  to  be  at  the  termination  of  our  cruise. 


k 


M 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

The  Conntry  of  the  Columbia. — Discovery  of  the  Colombia. — Gray's 
Harbor. — The  Coast  north  of  the  Columbia. — Fuca  Strait. — Puget 
Sound. — Geographical  Errors  in  naming  Places. — Excellent  Harbors. 
— Mount  Olympus. — Separation  of  Washington  from  Oregon. — The 
Columbia  and  its  Tributaries. — The  Dalles. — Wappatoo  Island. — 
Heceta's  Voyage. — Attack  by  Savages. — Point  Grenville  and  De- 
struction Island. — River  St.  Hoc. — Vancouver. — Sloop  Ws^hington 
and  Ship  Columbia. — Captain  Gray. — Lieutenant  Broughton  and  the 
Brig  Chatham. — Account  of  the  Outfit  of  the  Ship  Columbia  in  1787. 
— Captain  John  Kendrick. — Gray  discovers  the  Columbia. — Building 
of  the  Adventure  at  Clyoquot. 

The  region  west  of  the  Rocky  Mountains  drained  by 
the  Columbia  and  its  tributaries,  and  which  may  properly 
be  termed  the  Columbia  country,  is  contained  in  the  space 
between  the  forty-second  and  forty-ninth  parallels,  and  is 
about  four  hundred  thousand  square  miles  in  superficial 
extent.  Its  southernmost  points  are  in  the  same  lati- 
tude with  Boston  and  with  Florence,  while  its  northern- 


mf. 


118 


THE  NORTHWEST  COAST;   OR, 


I   i 


most  correspond  with  the  northern  extremities  of  New- 
foundland and  with  the  northern  shores  of  the  Baltic 
Sea. 

The  Pacific  coast  of  this  territory  extends  in  a  line 
nearly  due  north  from  the  boundary  between  California 
and  Oregon  to  Cape  Flattery.  The  shores  south  of  the 
Columbia  are  perilous  to  navigators,  from  the  steep  and 
rocky  shores,  and  the  presence  of  reefs  and  sand-bars. 
There  are  no  large  harbors  on  this  line  of  the  coast,  but 
small  vessels  find  safe  anchorage  at  Port  Orford,  and 
can  also  enter  the  River  Umpqua,  a  short  distance  north, 
and  also  a  small  inlet  named  Coose  Bay. 

North  cf  the  Columbia  the  coast  is  less  beset  with 
dangers,  and  offers  the  excellent  harbor  of  Shoal-water 
Bay,  where  at  high  water  vessels  drawing  eigliteen  feet 
can  safely  enter.  Immediately  north  of  Shoal-water 
Bay,  and  directly  under  tlie  forty-seventh  parallel,  is 
Gray's  Harbor,  a  small  port,  safe  and  good  for  ves- 
sels of  light  draft.  This  bay  was  discovered  in  May, 
1792,  by  Captain  Robert  Gray,  of  the  ship  Columbia,  of 
Boston,  and  named  by  him  Bulfinch  Harbor,  after  one 
of  the  owners  of  his  ship,  though  it  is  commonly  called 
Gray's  Harbor,  and  is  frequently  represented  on  the  old 
English  maps  as  Whidbey's  Bay. 

North  of  Gray's  Harbor  there  is  no  other  bay  or  river 
that  can  be  entered  from  the  ocean,  although  several  fine 
streams  flow  directly  into  the  Pacific  ;  but  their  mouths 
are  so  choked  up  by  the  waves  beating  directly  into  th«in 
that  they  have  openings  scarce  large  enough  to  admit  ca- 
noes. There  are  several  rocks  and  islets  lying  between 
Gray's  Harbor  and  Fuca  Straits,  but  none  of  them  are 
worthy  of  particular  notice  except  Destruction  Island,  in 
latitude  47^  degrees,  named  by  the  captain  of  an  Austrian 
ship  in  1787,  in  consequence  of  tho,  murder  of  some  of 
his  men  by  the  natives  of  the  adjacent  country. 


THREE   YEARS   AT   SHOAL-WATER   BAY. 


119 


♦if'    ; 


The  Strait  of  Juan  de  Fuca  is  an  arm  of  the  sea  sep- 
arating the  great  island  of  Quadra  and  Vancouver,  or,  as 
it  is  now  called,  Vancouver's  Island,  from  the  continent 
on  the  south  and  east.  It  extends  from  the  ocean  east- 
ward about  one  hundred  miles,  varying  in  breadth  from 
ten  to  thirty  miles,  between  the  48th  and  49th  parallels 
of  latitude ;  thence  it  turns  to  the  northwest,  in  which 
direction  it  runs,  first  expanding  into  a  long,  wide  bay, 
and  then  contracting  into  narrow  and  intricate  passages 
among  islands,  three  hundred  miles  farther,  to  its  reun- 
ion with  the  Pacific  under  the  51st  parallel. 

From  its  southeastern  extremity,  a  great  gulf,  called 
Admiralty  Inlet,  stretches  southward  into  the  continent 
more  than  one  hundred  miles,  dividing  into  many  branch- 
es, of  which  the  principal  are,  Hood's  Canal  on  the  west, 
and  Puget  Sound,  the  southernmost,  extending  nearly  to 
the  47th  parallel.  This  inlet  possesses  many  excellent 
harbors,  and  the  adjacent  country  being  delightful  and 
productive,  make  it  one  of  the  most  valuable  portions 
of  the  territory,  agriculturally  as  well  as  commercially. 
A  strange  geographical  error  has  gained  credence  in  the 
commercial  world  of  calling  all  the  waters  on  the  north 
of  Washington  Territory  Puget  Sound. 

This  error  has  been  principally  caused  by  ignorant 
newspaper  reporters,  particularly  those  of  San  Francis- 
co, who  always  report  vessels  arriving  from  any  of  the 
different  harbors  in  Fuca  Strait  as  from  Puget  Sound. 

There  are  many  excellent  harbors  in  the  Strait  of  Fuca, 
of  which  the  principal  are  Port  Townsend,  near  the  en- 
trance to  Admiralty  Inlet,  said  by  Vancouver  to  be  one 
of  the  best  in  the  Pacific ;  Neah  Bay,  called  by  Vancou- 
ver Poverty  Cove,  and  by  the  Spaniards  Port  Nunez 
Gaona,  situated  a  few  miles  east  of  Cape  Flattery ;  New 
Dungeness,  False  Dungeness,  and  Bellingham's  Bay,  an 
arm  of  the  Gulf  of  Georgia ;  while  in  Admiralty  Inlet 


^  '  m 


\-n 


*f  i 


120 


THE   NOIiTHWEST  COAST;    OR, 


are  several  bays  en  Whidbey's  Island,  Seattle,  Alki,  and 
Tekalet,  on  Hood's  Canal.  Cape  Flattery  was  named 
by  Captain  Cook.  It  is  a  conspicuous  promontory,  in 
the  latitude  of  48°  27^  near  which  is  a  large  rock  called 
Tatooche  Island,  united  to  the  promontory  by  a  rocky 
ledge,  at  times  partially  covered  with  water. 

The  shore  between  the  Cape  and  Admiralty  Inlet  is 
composed  of  sandy  cliffs,  overhanging  a  beach  of  sand 
and  stones.  From  it  the  land  gradually  rises  to  a  chain 
of  mountains  stretching  southwardly  along  the  Pacific 
to  the  vicinity  of  the  Columbia,  the  highest  point  of 
which  received,  in  1788,  the  name  of  Mount  Olympus. 

The  whole  of  this  region  was  organized  as  the  Territo- 
ry of  Oregon,  by  which  name  it  was  known  till  1853,  when 
it  was  separated  into  two  temtories,  that  lying  north  of 
the  Columbia  being  called  Washington.  The  Columbia 
is  the  dividing  line  between  the  two  territories  from  its 
mouth  to  near  Fort  Walla  Walla,  where  the  49th  paral- 
lel is  the  boundary  the  rest  of  the  distance.  "This 
magnificent  river,"  says  Greenhow,  **  enters  the  Pacific 
Ocean  between  two  points  of  land  seven  miles  apart — 
Cape  Disappointment  on  the  north,  and  Cape  Adams  on 
the  south,  of  which  the  former  is  in  the  latitude  of  46° 
16^  (corresponding  nearly  with  Quebec,  in  Canada,  and 
Geneva,  in  Switzerland),  and  in  longitude  47°  west  from 
Washington,  or  124°  west  from  Greenwich.  The  main 
river  is  formed  at  the  distance  of  two  hundred  and  fifty 
miles  from  its  mouth  by  the  union  of  two  large  streams, 
one  from  the  north,  which  is  usually  considered  as  the 
principal  branch,  and  the  other,  called  Snake  River,  f/om 
the  southeast.  These  two  great  confluents  receive  in 
their  course  many  other  streams,  and  thus  they  collect 
together  all  the  waters  flowing  from  the  western  sides  of 
the  Rocky  Mountains,  between  the  42d  and  the  54th  par- 
allels of  Latitude. 


«1 

Roekj 
of  its 
lake  £ 
called 
from  a 
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by  tho 
the  moi 
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Brown, 
er,  Mou 
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"At 
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the  one 
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broad  la 
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THREE   YEAKS   AT   SHOAL-WATER  BAY. 


121 


"  The  northern  branch  of  the  Columbia  rises  in  tl 
Rocky  Mountains,  near  the  53d  degree  of  latitude.  Ont> 
of  its  head-waters,  the  Canoe  River,  runs  from  a  small 
lake  situated  in  a  remarkable  cleft  of  the  great  chain 
called  the  Punch  Bowl,  at  the  distance  of  only  a  few  feet 
from  another  lake,  whence  flows  the  westernmost  streani 
of  the  Athabasca  River,  a  tributary  to  the  Mackenzie, 
emptying  into  the  Arctic  Sea.  This  cleft  is  described 
by  those  who  have  visited  it  as  presenting  scenes  of 
the  most  teiTific  grandeur,  being  overhung  by  the  highest 
peaks  in  the  dividing  range,  of  which  one,  called  Mount 
Brown,  is  not  less  than  sixteen  thousand  feet,  and  anoth- 
er, Mount  Hooker,  exceeds  fifteen  thousand  feet  above 
the  ocean  level.  ^ 

"  At  a  place  called  Boat  Encampment,  near  the  52d 
degree  of  latitude.  Canoe  River  joins  two  other  streams, 
the  one  at  the  north,  the  other,  the  largest  of  the  three, 
running  along  the  base  of  the  Rocky  Mountains  from 
the  south.  The  river  thus  formed,  considered  as  the 
main  Columbia,  takes  its  course  nearly  due  south  through 
defiles  between  lofty  mountains,  being  generally  a  third 
of  a  mile  in  width,  but  in  some  places  spreading  out  into 
broad  lakes,  for  about  three  hundred  miles,  to  the  lati- 
tude of  48^  degrees,  where  it  receives  the  Flatbow  or 
M'Gillivray's  River,  a  large  branch,  flowing  also  from  the 
Rocky  Mountains  on  the  east. 

"  A  little  farther  south,  the  northern  branch  unites 
with  the  Clarke  or  Flathead  River,  scarcely  inferior,  in  the 
quantity  of  water  supplied,  to  the  other.  The  sources  of 
the  Clarke  are  situated  in  the  dividing  range,  near  those 
of  the  Missouri  and  Yellow  Stone,  whence  it  runs  north- 
ward along  the  base  of  the  mountains,  and  then  west- 
ward, forming,  under  the  48th  parallel,  an  extensive  sheet 
of  water  called  the  Kullerspelm  Lake,  surrounded  by  rich 
tracts  of  land,  and  lofty  mountains  covered  with  noble 

F 


i 


|'"|S-'*^ 


122 


TUE  N0RTHWE8T  COAST;   OR, 


trees.  From  this  lake  the  river  issues  in  a  large  and 
rapid  stream,  and,  after  running  about  seventy  miles 
westward,  it  falls  into  the  north  branch  of  the  Columbia 
over  a  ledge  of  rocks.  From  the  point  of  union  of  these 
two  rivers  the  Columbia  turns  toward  the  west,  and 
rushes  through  a  ridge  of  mountains,  where  it  forms  a 
cataract  c^ed  the  Chaudiere  or  Kettle  Falls.  Contin- 
uing in  the  same  direction  eighty  miles,  between  the  48th 
and  49th  parallels,  it  receives,  in  succession,  the  Spokan 
from  the  south,  and  the  Okinagan  from  the  north,  and 
from  the  mouth  of  the  latter  it  pursues  a  southwardly 
course  for  one  huiidred  and  sixty  miles  to  its  junction 
with  the  great  southern  branch,  near  the  47th  degree  of 
latitude." 

Of  the  great  southern  branch  of  the  Colninbia,  the 
Snake  River,  the  fai'thermost  sources  are  situated  in  deep 
valleys  or  holes  of  the  Rocky  Mountains,  near  the  42d 
degree  of  latitude,  within  short  distances  of  those  of  the 
Yellow  Stone,  the  Platte,  and  the  Colorado.  The  most 
eastern  of  these  head-waters,  considered  as  the  main  riv- 
er, issues  from  Pierre's  Hole,  between  the  Rocky  Mount- 
ains and  a  parallel  range  called  the  Tetons,  from  three 
remarkable  peaks  resembling  teats,  which  rise  to  a  great 
height  above  the  others.  Running  westward,  this  stream 
unites  successively  with  Henry's  Fork  from  the  north, 
and  the  Portneuf  from  the  south.  Some  distance  below 
its  junction  with  tlie  latter,  the  Snake  enters  the  defile 
between  the  Blue  Mountains  on  the  west  and  another 
rocky  chain,  called  the  Salmon  River  Mountain,  on  the 
east,  and  takes  its  course  northwestward  for  about  six 
hundred  miles  to  its  union  with  the  northern  branch, 
receiving  many  large  streams  from  each  side.  The 
principal  of  these  influent  streams  are  the  Malade,  or 
Sickly  River,  the  Boise,  or  Reed's  River,  the  Salmon 
River,  and  the  Kooskooske,  from  the  east,  and  the  Mal- 


heur 
west. 
Of 
streai 
igab]( 
forty 
used.i 


\  \ 


THREE  YEAES  AT  SHOAL- WATER  DAY. 


123 


heur  and  Powder  River  from  the  Blue  Mountains  on  the 
west. 

Of  these  two  great  branches  of  the  Columbia  and  the 
streams  that  fall  into  them,  scarcely  any  portion  is  nav- 
igable by  the  smallest  vessels  for  more  than  thirty  or 
forty  miles  continuously.  The  northern  branch  is  much 
used  by  the  Britisii  traders  for  the  conveyance  of  their 
furs  and  mercliandise,  by  means  of  light  canoes,  which, 
as  well  as  their  cargoes,  are  carried  by  the  boatmen 
around  the  falls  and  rapids  so  frequently  interrupting 
their  voyage.  The  Snake  River  and  its  streams  offer 
few  advantages  in  that  way,  as  they  nearly  all  rush,  in 
their  whole  course,  through  deep  and  narrow  chasms  be- 
tween perpendicular  rocks,  against  which  a  boat  would 
be  momentarily  in  danger  of  being  dashed  by  the  cur- 
rent. 

From  the  point  of  junction  of  these  two  branches,  the 
course  of  the  Columbia  is  generally  westward  to  the 
ocean.  A  little  below  that  point  it  receives  the  Walla 
"Walla,  and  then,  in  succession,  the  Umatilla,  John  Day's 
River,  and  the  Chutes,  or  Falls  River,  all  flowing  from 
the  south,  and  some  others  of  less  size  from  the  north. 
Near  the  mouth  of  the  Falls  River,  eighty  miles  below 
the  Walla  Walla,  are  situated  the  Chutes^  or  Falls  of  the 
Columbia,  where  the  great  stream  enters  a  gap  in  the 
Cascade  range  of  mountains.  Four  miles  farther  down 
are  the  Dalles  (a  corruption  of  the  French  D'AUer,  a 
term,  as  I  was  informed,  applied  by  the  Canadian  French 
to  the  raceway  of  a  mill,  which  this  part  of  the  river  re- 
sembles). The  Dalles  are  rapids  formed  by  the  passage 
of  the  water  between  vast  masses  of  rock ;  and  thirty 
miles  below  tiiese  are  the  Cascades,  a  series  of  falls  and 
rapids  extending  more  than  half  a  mile,  at  the  foot  of 
which  the  tides  are  observable,  at  the  distance  of  a  hund- 
red and  twenty  miles  from  the  Pacific. 


>v 


124 


THE   NORTHWEST  COAST;    OR, 


i 


i 


A  few  miles  below  the  Cascades,  a  largo  river,  called 
the  WillaiiK't  (tlie  Multnomah  of  Lewis  and  Clarke),  en- 
ters tlie  Columbia  from  the  south  by  two  mouths,  be- 
tween which  is  an  extensive  island  named  Wappatoo 
Island,  from  an  edible  root  {SaygitafoUa)  so  called, 
found  growing  upon  it  in  abundance.  Twenty- live 
miles  from  the  mouth  of  this  river  .are  its  fulls,  where  its 
waters  are  precipitated  over  a  ledge  of  rocks  more  than 
forty  feet  in  height.  Beyond  this  point  tlie  Willamot 
has  been  traced  about  two  hundred  miles,  in  a  tortuous 
course,  through  a  narrow  but  fertile  valley,  to  its  sources 
in  the  Coast  Range  mountains,  near  the  43d  degree  of 
latitude.  In  tiiis  valley  were  formed  the  earliest  agricul- 
tural settlr^nicnts  by  citizens  of  the  United  States  west 
of  the  Rocky  Mountains. 

Descending  the  Columbia  forty  miles  from  the  lower 
mouth  of  the  Willamet,  we  find  a  small  stream,  called 
the  Cowlitz,  entering  it  from  the  north ;  and  thirty  miles 
lower  down,  the  great  river,  which  is  nowhere  above  more 
than  a  mile  wide,  expands  to  the  breadth  of  four,  and  in 
some  places  of  seven  miles,  before  mingling  its  waters 
with  those  of  the  Pacific.  It,  however,  preserves  its 
character  as  a  river,  being  rapid  in  its  current,  and  per- 
fectly fresh  and  potable  to  within  a  league  of  the  ocean, 
except  during  the  very  dry  seasons  and  the  prevalence 
of  violent  westerly  winds. 

The  discovery  of  the  Columbia,  wliicli  has  been  the 
cause  of  so  much  controversy  between  England  and 
America,  is  now  universally  awarded  to  Captain  Robert 
Gray,  of  the  ship  Columbia,  of  Boston.  But  Gray  was,  in 
fact,  the  rediscoverer,  as  the  river  was  first  seen  by  Cap- 
tain Bruno  Heceta,  commanding  the  Spanish  ship  San- 
tiago, on  the  15th  of  August,  1775.  The  ship  was  ac- 
companied by  a  small  schooner  called  the  Sonora,  com- 
manded by  Lieutenant  Juan  Francisco  de  la  Bodega  y 


THREE    YKABS   AT   8U0AL-WATER   BAY. 


125 


Quadra.  These  two  vessels  sailed  together  from  Sun 
Blus  on  the  15th  of  March,  1775,  and,  after  stopping  at 
various  places  on  the  coast,  came  to  anchor  on  the  10th 
of  June  in  a  small  roadstead,  where  they  landed,  and 
took  possession  of  the  country  in  the  name  of  their  sov- 
ereign with  religious  ceremonies,  bestowing  upon  the  har- 
bor the  name  of  Port  Trinidad.  After  having  erected  a 
cross  near  the  shore  with  an  inscription,  setting  forth 
the  fact  of  their  having  visited  the  place  and  taken  pos- 
session of  it,  they  sailed  for  the  north  on  the  19th  of 
June,  and  were  obliged  to  keep  out  of  sight  of  land  for 
three  weeks,  at  the  end  of  which  time  they  again  camo 
in  sight  of  it,  in  the  latitude  of  48°  27^  Here  they  ex- 
pected to  find  the  Straits  of  Fuca,  but,  being  disappoint- 
ed, they  camo  to  anchor  near  the  land,  though  at  some 
distance  from  each  other,  to  procure  wood  and  water, 
and  to  trade  with  the  natives. 

Here  a  severe  misfortune  befell  the  schooner  Sonora 
on  the  14th  of  July.  Seven  of  her  men,  who  had  been 
sent  ashore  in  her  o?ilf/  boat,  although  well  armed,  were 
attacked  and  murdered  by  the  natives  immediately  they 
had  landed,  and  it  was  with  difficulty  the  savages  were 
prevented  from  boarding  the  schooner,  which  was  sur- 
rounded during  the  whole  day  by  the  Indians,  in  great 
numbers,  in  their  canoes. 

In  commemoration  of  this  melancholy  event,  the  place 
was  called  J\inta  de  IMartires — Martyrs'  Point.  It  is 
in  the  latitude  of  47°  20'',  and  on  English  maps  is  called 
Point  Grenvillc.  A  small  island,  situated  a  few  miles 
farther  north,  was  also  named  Isla  de  Dolores — Isle  of 
Sorrows.  Twelve  years  afterward,  this  same  island  was 
named  by  the  captain  of  the  ship  Imperial  Eagle,  of  Os- 
tend.  Destruction  Island^  in  consequence  of  a  similar 
massacre  of  some  of  his  crew  by  the  Indians  on  the  main 
land  opposite.    These  Indians  are  known  as  the  Quaitso 


p 


y    I' 


V     '*i 


i"*l 


126 


THE  NORTHWEST  COAST;   OR, 


tribe,  and  those  at  Point  Grenville  as  the  Queniult,  and 
were  formerly  very  savage  and  dangerous. 

This  disaster,  together  with  the  appearance  of  the  scur- 
vy among  the  crew,  decided  Heceta  to  return  to  Monte- 
rey ;  but  he  was  opposed  by  Bodega,  and  finally  gave 
his  unwilling  consent  to  proceed  north,  which  they  did 
on  the  20th  of  July.  They  were,  however,  shortly  aft- 
erward se"-  arated  in  a  storm,  whereupon  Heceta  determ- 
ined to  go  back  to  Monterey,  while  Bodega  persevered  in 
his  endeavors  to  accomplish  as  far  as  possible  the  object 
of  his  expedition. 

After  Heceta  parted  company  with  the  schooner  he 
steered  south,  and  on  the  15th  of  August  arrived  oppo- 
site an  opening,  in  the  latitude  of  46°  17^,  from  which 
rushed  a  current  so  strong  as  to  prevent  his  entering  it. 
This  circumstance  convinced  him  that  it  was  the  moulh 
of  some  great  river.  He,  in  consequence,  remained  in 
its  vicinity  another  day,  in  the  hope  of  i  scertaining  the 
true  character  of  the  place ;  but  still  being  unable  to  en- 
ter tho  opening,  he  continued  his  voyage  toward  the 
south. 

This  opening  In  the  coast  thus  discovered  Heceta 
•ndimaiiJ^nsenada  de  Asuncion — Assumption  Inlet ;  call- 
ing the  north  point  Cape  San  Roque,  and  that  on  the 
south  Cajje  Frondoso — Leafy  Cape.  In  the  chart  pub- 
lished at  Mexico  soon  after  the  conclusion  of  the  voy- 
age, the  entrance  is,  however,  called  Ensenada  de  Heceta 
— Ileceta's  Inlet,  and  liio  de  San  Roque — River  of  St. 
Roc.  Greenhow  remarks  that  it  was  undoubtedly  the 
mouth  of  the  greatest  river  on  the  western  side  of  Amer- 
ica, the  same  which  in  1 792  was  first  entered  by  the  ship 
Columbia,  and  the  evidence  of  its  first  discovery  by  He- 
ceta is  unquestionable.  ; 

Thirteen  years  afterward,  IMeares,  as  has  already  been 
stated,  attempted  to  find  this  River  of  St.  Roc,  but  with- 


out s 
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On  t\ 
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THREE  YEARS  AT  SHOAL-WATER  BAY. 


127 


out  success.  After  changing  the  name  of  Cape  San 
Koque  to  Cape  Disappointment,  in  token  of  his  failure, 
he  writes,  "  We  can  now  with  safety  assert  thai  there  is 
no  such  river  as  that  of  /St.  Hoc  exists  as  laid  down  on 
Spanish  charts." 

In  1792  Vancouver  sailed  up  the  coast,  and  when  in 
the  latitude  of  46°  19'  he  came  up  with  Cape  Disap- 
pointment, and,  considering  the  opening  of  the  Columbia 
to  be  what  IVIeares  had  previously  named  Deception  Bay, 
he  writes,  "iVo^  considering  this  opening  worthy  of  more 
atte?ition,l  continued  our  pursuit  to  the  northwest,"  be- 
ing satisfied  *'  that  all  the  rivers  or  inlets  that  had  been 
described  as  discharging  their  contents  into  the  Pacific 
between  the  40th  and  the  48th  degrees  of  north  latitude 
were  reduced  to  brooks  insiiffi.cie?it  for  our  vessels  to 
navigate^  or  to  bays  inaccessible  as  harbors  for  refitting." 

On  the  29th  of  April,  1792,  Vancouver  spoke  the  Co- 
lumbia, of  Boston,  commanded  by  Robert  Gray,  who  in- 
formed him  that  he  had  lain  off  the  mouth  of  a  river  in 
the  latitude  of  46°  10',  where  the  outset  or  reflux  was 
so  strong  that  for  nine  days  he  was  prevented  from  en- 
tering it ;  but  as  Vancouver  had  passed  the  same  place 
on  the  forenoon  of  the  27th,  he  gave  no  credit  to  Captain 
Gray's  statement,  and  writes  "  that  if  any  inlet  or  river 
should  be  found,  it  must  be  a  very  intricate  one,  and  in- 
accessible to  vessels  of  our  burden,  owing  to  the  reefs 
and  broken  water." 

Satisfied  with  his  conclusions,  Vancouver  continued 
on  to  the  north,  while  Captain  Gray,  determined  to  as- 
certain the  truth  of  his  belief  that  he  had  seen  the  mouth 
of  a  river,  proceeded  on  his  course  south.  It  was  while 
in  command  of  the  sloop  Washington,  in  August,  1788, 
that  Gray  discovered  and  at  .empted  to  enter  the  open- 
ing near  the  46th  degree  of  latitude;  but  the  sloop 
grounded  on  the  bar  and  came  near  being  lost,  and  was 


\M 


128 


THE   NORTHWEST   COAST;     OR, 


also  attacked  by  the  Indians,  who  killed  one  man  and 
wounded  the  mate  ;  but  she  escaped  without  farther  in- 
jury, and  reached  Nootka  on  the  17th  of  September. 

Gray  was  shortly  afterward  transferred  to  the  com- 
mand of  the  Columbia,  and  returned  to  Boston,  and  was 
now  on  another  cruise,  1792. 

After  parting  with  the  English  commander.  Gray 
sailed  along  the  coast  south,  and  on  the  7th  of  May  he 
discovered,  in  latitude  46°  58^,  the  entrance  to  a  bay, 
which  he  passed  through,  and  found  liimself  in  a  good 
harbor,  "  well  sheltered  from  the  sea  by  long  sand-bars 
and  spits,"  where  he  remained  three  days  trading  with 
the  natives. 

He  named  this  place  Bulfinch  Harbor,  but  it  is  now 
known  as  Gray's  Harbor.  - 

At  daybreak  on  the  11th  he  resumed  his  voyage,  and 
shortly  afterward  discovered  "the  entrance  of  his  de- 
sired port  bearing  east-southeast  distant  six  leagues ;" 
and  unlike  Meares  and  Vancouver,  who  liad  pronounced 
the  breakers  impassable,  he  boldly  steered  between  them, 
with  all  sail  set,  and  at  one  o'clock  anchored  '*  in  a  large 
river  of  fresh  water^''^  ten  miles  above  its  mouth,  where 
he  remained  three  days  engaged  in  trading  with  the  na- 
tives and  filling  his  casks  with  water,  and  then  sailed  up 
some  ten  or  twelve  miles  farther  along  the  northern 
shore,  where  he  came  to  anchor,  being  unable  t:^  proceed 
any  farther  from  having,  as  he  writes,  *'  taken  the  wrong 
channel."  During  the  following  week  several  attempts 
were  made  to  go  to  sea,  but  they  were  unable  to  cross 
the  bar  till  the  20th,  when,  a  fresh  breeze  springing  up 
from  the  west,  they  beat  the  ship  out,  and  at  five  P.  M. 
were  clear  of  all  the  bars  and  in  twenty  fathoms  of 
water. 

On  leaving  the  river.  Captain  Gray  gave  it  the  name 
of  his  ship,  the  Columbia^  a  name  it  has  ever  since  re- 


i    ''• 


THREE   YEARS   AT    SHOAL-WATER  BAY. 


129 


tained,  and  also  named  the  sand-bank  which  makes  out 
from  the  southern  side  of  the  entrance  Point  Adams,  and 
the  bkiff,  rocky  promontory  on  the  northern  side  he 
called  Cape  Hancock,  but  afterward  changed  it  to  Cape 
Disappointment,  on  learning  that  Meares  had  previously 
bestowed  that  name  upon  it. 

After  leaving  the  Columbia  Gray  proceeded  to  Noot- 
ka,  where  he  met  the  Spanish  commander  Quadra,  to 
whom  he  gave  a  rough  chart  of  the  river.  Vancouver, 
who  had  been  prosecuting  his  discoveries  in  the  Straits 
of  Fuca,  returned  to  Nootka,  where  he  was  furnished  by 
Quadra  with  copies  of  the  charts  given  him  by  Gray. 

On  the  13th  of  October,  1792,  he  sailed  fiom  Noc+ka 
with  his  three  vessels,  the  Discovery,  Daedalus,  and 
Chatham,  and  on  the  17th,  being  opposite  the  entrance 
to  Gray's  Harbor,  he  detached  Lieutenant  Whidbey,  in 
the  Daedalus,  to  examine  the  bay,  while  he  himself  pro- 
ceeded with  the  other  vessels  to  the  Columbia.  Being 
still  convinced  of  the  impossibility  of  his  ship  passing 
the  bar,  he  continued  his  course  south  for  the  Bay  of 
San  Francisco,  leaving  Lieutenant  Broughton,  in  the  brig 
Chatham,  to  enter  the  river,  which  he  did  without  diffi- 
culty on  the  20th  of  October,  and  to  his  surprise  found 
tlie  brig  Jenny,  of  Bristol,  Captain  Baker,  lying  there 
at  anchor,  having  arrived  from  Nootka  a  few  days  pre- 
vious. Lieutenant  Broughton  then  proceeded  up  the 
river  in  his  boat  eighty  miles,  when,  finding  the  current 
too  strong  for  them  to  proceed  without  great  labor,  they 
abandoned  the  survey  and  returned  to  the  brig. 

The  point  of  land  where  they  were  obliged  to  relin- 
quish their  design  was  named  Point  Vancouver,  and  an 
inlet  on  the  north  shore  of  the  river,  where  Gray  had 
anchored,  was  named  Gray's  Bay,  and  another  inlet, 
immediately  inside  Cape  Disappointment,  was  named 
Baker's  Bay,  in  compliment  to  the  captain  of  the  brig 

F2 


>-'4 


<\  .   :   +j 


M    ■     \'^'M 


130 


THE  NORTHWEST  COAST;    OR, 


14 


■M' 


Jenny.  Both  the  Chatham  and  Jenny  sailed  from  the 
Columbia  on  the  10th  of  November,  and  arrived  at  San 
Francisco  before  the  end  of  the  month.  Greenhow  re- 
marks "  that,  had  Gray,  after  parting  with  the  English 
ships,  not  returned  to  the  river  and  ascended  it  as  he  did, 
there  is  every  reason  to  believe  that  it  would  have  long 
remained  unknown ;  for  the  assertions  of  Vancouver  that 
no  opening,  harhor,  or  place  of  refuge  for  vessels  was 
to  be  found  between  Cape  Mendocino  and  the  Strait  of 
Fuca,  and  that  this  part  of  the  coast  formed  one  com- 
pact, solid,  and  "rearly  straight  barrier  against  the  sea, 
would  have  served  completely  to  overthrow  the  evidence 
of  the  American  fur-trader,  and  to  prevent  any  further 
attempts  to  examine  those  shores,  or  even  to  approach 
them." 

As  the  names  of  Robert  Gray  and  liis  ship  will  always 
bo  remembered  in  connection  with  the  Columbia  River, 
Gray's  Bay,  and  Gray's  Harbor,  a  brief  statement  of  the 
original  outfitting  from  Boston  will  be  of  interest. 

In  1787,  some  merchants  of  Boston,  who  were  engaged 
in  the  China  trade,  finding  that,  from  the  inferiority  of 
the  articles  of  American  manufacture,  they  were  unable 
to  cope  with  the  English  or  other  foreign  nations  in  the 
Canton  market,  formed  an  association  for  the  purpose  of 
combining  the  fur-trade  with  the  traffic  in  teas  and  silks. 
The  names  of  these  copartners  were  Messrs.  BaiTell, 
Brown,  Bulfinch,  Darby,  Hatch,  and  Pintard. 

During  the  summer  of  1787  they  fitted  out  the  ship 
Columbia,  of  two  hundred  and  twenty  tons,  and  the  sloop 
Washington,  of  ninety  tons,  and  loaded  them  with  blank- 
ets, knives,  iron  bars,  copper  pans,  and  other  articles 
proper  for  the  trade  with  the  Northwest  Indians. 

The  Columbia  v/as  commanded  by  John  Kendrick, 
who  had  also  the  command  of  the  expedition.  The  name 
of  the  mate  was  Joseph  Ingraham. 


THREE   YEARS   AT   SHOAL-WATER   BAY. 


131 


The  Washington  was  commanded  by  Kobert  Gray. 
They  also  carried  with  them,  for  distribution  among  the 
natives,  a  number  of  halfpence  recently  coined  by  the 
State  of  Massachusetts,  and  also  medals  of  copper  struck 
expressly  for  the  purpose,  having  a  representation  of  the 
ship  and  sloop,  with  their  names  and  that  of  Captain 


I.  ^^■'« 


m 


Kendrick  on  one  side,  and  the  names  of  the  owners, 
with  the  date  and  object  of  the  enterprise,  on  the  re- 
verse. These  medals  are  but  rarely  met  with  at  the  pres- 
ent time.  The  two  vessels  sailed  from  Boston  on  the  30th 
of  September,  1787,  and,  after  touching  at  the  Capo 
Verde  and  Falkland  Islands,  they  proceeded  on  their 
voyage,  and  in  January,  1788,  doubled  Cape  Horn,  when 
they  were  separated  during  a  violent  gale.  Nootka  hav- 
ing been  appointed  as  the  place  of  rendezvous,  both  ves-r 
scls  steered  for  it.  They  did  not  reach  the  Northwest 
Coast  till  the  following  August,  when,  as  has  before 
been  mentioned.  Gray  first  saw  the  mouth  of  the  Co- 
lumbia, where  he  came  near  losing  the  sloop  Washing- 
ton, and  it  was  not  till  the  17th  of  September  that  he 
reached  Nootka,  having  been  nearly  a  year  out  from 
Boston. 

The  Columbia  arrived  a  few  days  after,  and  the  two 


..41 


m 


4^1 


132 


THE   NORTHWEST   COAST;    OR, 


f: 


'       11 


vessels  remained  in  Nootka  Sound  all  winter,  the  Wash- 
ington occasionally  making  short  trading  excursions 
north  and  south  for  furs,  which  were  placed  on  board  the 
Columbia,  who  remained  at  anchor.  After  the  ship  was 
loaded,  it  was  agreed  between  the  two  captains  that  Gray 
should  take  command  of  the  Columbia  and  proceed  to 
Canton,  while  Kendrick  should  remain  on  the  coast  and 
take  charge  of  the  sloop.  Gray  accordingly  proceeded 
to  Canton,  where  he  arrived  on  the  6th  of  December, 
1789,  and,  having  sold  his  furs  and  taken  in  a  cargo  of 
tea,  he  sailed  for  Boston,  where  he  arrived  on  the  10th 
of  August,  1790,  having  carried  the  flag  of  the  United 
States  for  the  first  time  round  the  world.  Gray,  having 
speedily  refitted  his  ship,  again  sailed  from  Boston  on 
the  28th  of  September  (1790),  and  arrived  at  Clyoquot, 
near  the  entrance  to  the  Straits  of  Fuca,  on  the  5th  of 
June,  1791.  While  trading  and  exploring  the  islands 
and  coast  in  the  vicinity  of  Queen  Charlotte's  Island, 
he  met  with  a  melancholy  accident  at  a  place  called 
by  him  Massacre  Cove.  His  second  mate,  named  Cas- 
well, and  two  men,  were  murdered  there  on  the  22d  of 
August. 

The  Columbia  wintered  at  Clyoquot,  where  her  crew 
built  a  small  vessel  called  the  Adventure.  This  was  the 
second  vessel  built  on  the  Northwest,  Meares  having 
constructed  one  at  Nootka  during  the  year  1788,  which 
was  named  the  Northwest  America. 

The  following  spring  of  1 792,  as  has  already  been  re- 
lated, Gray  sailed  south  for  the  purpose  of  exploring  the 
Columbia,  which  purpose  he  effected ;  and,  after  leaving 
the  mouth  of  the  river,  sailed  to  the  east  coast  of  Queen 
Charlotte's  Island,  where  his  ship  struck  on  a  rock,  and 
was  so  much  injured  that  she  was  with  difficulty  kept 
afloat  till  she  reached  Nootka,  v-here  she  was  repaired ; 
and  as  soon  as  Gray  had  completed  Iiis  business,  he 


THREE  YEARS  AT   SHOAL-WATER  BAY. 


133 


sailed  for  Canton  in  September,  and  thence  to  the  United 
States. 

Gray  continued  to  command  trading  vessels  from  Bos- 
ton till  1809,  about  which  time  he  died. 


;^.^  ^-^ 


h 


'  \] 


CHAPTER  IX. 

The  Oystermen  celebrate  the  4th  of  July. — A  Speech  and  a  great  Bon- 
fire.— Arrival  of  Emigrants. — Colonel  H.  K.  Stevens. — Fishing-party 
on  the  Nasal  River. — We  go  up  the  River  to  an  Indian  Camp. — Meth- 
od of  catching  Salmon. — We  catch  rotten  Logs. — The  Colonel  falls 
overboard. — A  Chase  after  a  Salmon.  —  Indian  Style  of  catching 
Trout. — Tiieir  Medicine  to  allure  Fish. — Immense  Quantities  of  Sal- 
mon in  Shoal-water  Bay. — Wreck  of  Brig  Palos. — Description  of  my 
House. — High  Tides. — Quantities  of  Wild-fowl. — A  Gale  of  Wind. 
— Heavy  Ruin. — The  Gale  increases,  and  blows  down  our  Chimney. 
— Damage  done  by  the  Storm. — Narrow  Escape  from  being  killed  by 
a  falling  Precipice. — Arrival  of  Indians. — Pepper  Coffee. — Ludicrous 
Plight  of  the  Natives. — Their  Superstition. — They  try  to  shoot  a 
Ghost. — They  are  scared  by  a  Pumpkin  Lantern. — Poisoning  Crows. 
— Method  of  preserving  Cabbages  from  the  Indians. 

After  my  return  from  Chenook,  nothing  of  my  par- 
ticular interest  transpired  till  toward  the  first  of  July, 
when  it  was  announced  to  me  that  the  boys,  as  the  oys- 
termen were  termed,  intended  celebrating  the  4tli  of  July 
at  my  tent ;  and  accordingly,  as  the  time  drew  near,  all 
hands  were  engaged  in  making  preparations ;  for  it  was 
not  intended  that  I  should  be  at  the  expense  of  tlie  cel- 
ebration, but  only  bear  my  proportionate  pari.  The  day 
was  ushered  in  by  a  tremendous  bonfire,  which  Baldt 
and  myself  kindled  on  Pine  Island,  which  was  answered 
by  every  one  who  had  a  gan  and  powder  blazing  away. 
Toward  iwo  o'clock  they  began  to  assemble,  some  coming 
in  boats,  others  in  canoes,  and  a  few  by  walking  round 
the  beach,  which  they  could  easily  do  at  any  time  after 
the  tide  was  quarter  ebb. 

Each  one  brought  something:  one  had  a  great  oys- 


...     .    ,    * 

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134 


THE   NORTHWEST  COAST;   OR, 


■  ■.4 


*      :■-;' 


ter  pic,  baked  in  a  milk-pan ;  another  had  a  boiled 
ham ;  a  third  brought  a  cold  pudding ;  others  had  pies, 
doughnuts,  or  loaves  of  bread ;  and  my  neighbor  Rus- 
sell came,  bringing  with  him  a  long  oration  of  his  own 
composing,  and  half  a  dozen  boxes  of  sardines.  When 
all  were  assembled,  the  performances  were  commenced 
by  the  reading  of  the  Declaration  of  Independence  by 
Mr.  St.  John,  extracts  from  Webster's  oration  at  Boston 
on  Adams  and  Jefferson,  then  Russell's  oration,  which 
was  followed  by  the  banquet,  and  after  that  a  feu-de- 
joie  by  the  guns  and  rifles  of  the  whole  company. 

These  ceremonies  over,  it  was  proposed  to  close  the 
performances  for  the  day  by  going  on  top  of  the  cliff  op- 
posite, and  make  a  tremendous  big  blaze.  This  was 
acceded  to,  and  some  six  or  eight  immediately  crossed 
the  creek  and  soon  scrambled  to  the  top  of  the  hill, 
where  we  found  an  old  hollow  cedar  stump  about  twenty 
feet  higl .  We  could  enter  this  on  one  side,  and  found 
it  a  mere  shell  of  what  had  once  been  a  monster  tree. 

I  had  with  me  a  little  rifle,  which  measured,  stock  and 
all,  but  three  feet  long.  With  this  I  measured  across 
the  space,  and  found  it  was  just  six  lengths  of  my  rifle, 
or  eighteen  feet,  and  the  tree  undoubtedly,  when  sound, 
must  have  measured,  with  the  bark  on,  at  least  sixty 
feet  in  circumference. 

We  went  to  work  with  a  will,  and  soon  had  the  old 
stump  filled  full  of  dry  spruce  limbs,  which  were  lying 
about  in  great  quantities,  and  then  set  fire  to  the  whole. 
It  made  the  best  bonfire  I  ever  saw ;  and  after  burning 
all  night  and  part  of  the  next  day,  finally  set  fire  to  tlie 
forest,  which  continued  to  burn  for  several  months,  till 
the  winter  rains  finally  extinguished  it.  The  party 
broke  up  at  an  early  hour,  and  all  declared  that,  with  the 
exception  of  the  absence  of  a  cannon,  they  never  had  a 
pleasanter  "fourth." 


THREE   YEARS   AT  SHOAL-WATER   BAY. 


135 


The  emigrants  now  began  to  come  into  the  Bay,  and 
"  claims"  of  land  were  taken  up  on  all  sides.  Amon^ 
others  who  came  to  settle  was  an  old  friend,  Colonel  H. 
K.  Stevens,  who,  with  a  '  .end  named  Hinckley,  had 
taken  a  claim  on  the  Nasal  lliver,  which  he  had  named 
the  Kennebec.  The  colonel  was  not  a  colonel  then  ;  he 
liad  not  been  elected  to  that  high  office  at  that  early  day. 
Ho  was  simply  Harry  Stevens,  and  remained  as  such 
until  the  ensuing  year,  when  the  residents,  feeling  a 
dread  of  the  aborigines,  chose  him  as  their  leader. 

He  had  brought  some  goods  over  from  the  Columbia 
to  trade  with,  and  intended  to  build  a  store  on  the  Point, 
where  he  had  located  himself.  Although  I  had  been  re- 
peatedly urged  by  him  to  make  a  visit  to  the  Nasal,  I 
never  found  any  fitting  opportunity  till  toward  the  last 
of  August,  when  the  salmon  first  begin  to  run  up  the 
rivers  of  Shoal- water  Bay. 

One  day  old  Toke  came  to  me  with  the  information 
that  there  were  plenty  of  salmon  in  the  Nasal,  and  he 
wished  to  borrow  my  large  canoe,  as  his  was  not  large 
enough  to  carry  all  his  people.  I  consented,  pro\ided  I 
could  go  with  them ;  to  this  he  gladly  assented,  and  we 
soon  got  our  things  ready  for  a  week's  sport.  After  we 
had  safely  stowed  our  blankets,  guns,  hooks,  speprs,  and 
provisions,  we  started  off,  with  my  little  canoe  in  tow  to 
act  as  a  tender.  The  Nasal  was  distant  about  eighteen 
or  twenty  miles,  and  as  the  Indians  did  not  feel  in  any 
hurry,  we  did  not  reach  the  mouth  of  the  river  till  after 
dark ;  when,  not  seeing  any  light  or  signs  of  Stevens's 
house,  we  went  ashore  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  river, 
where  there  was  a  fine  spring,  near  which  we  made  our 
camp,  and  remained  all  night. 

A  person  traveling  with  Indians,  particularly  in  ca- 
noes, should  make  up  his  mind  not  to  be  in  a  hurry; 
they  move  just  as  it  suits  them.     If  the  wind  is  fair, 


r 


\'- 


w 


;^ja 


•54-^ 


il  -fl  -ft 


136 


TIJE   NORTHWEST   COAST;    OR, 


they  make  sail  if  they  have  one,  or,  in  lieu  of  that,  will 
hoist  a  blanket,  and  go  as  the  wind  blows.     But  if  it  is 
ahead  or  is  calm,  they  paddle  along  in  a  very  lazy  sort  of 
manner.  If  night  is  likely  to  overtake  them  before  getting 
to  their  destination,  they  always  tiy  to  go  ashore  before 
dark,  where  tliey  can  find  fresh  water  and  make  a  good 
camp;  and  when  their  fire  is  made  and  their  supper  cook- 
ed, they  feel  as  much  at  home  as  if  in  their  own  lodge. 
There  is  no  hurrying  with  them  to  reach  the  next  tavern, 
or,  like  the  youth  tied  to  his  mother's  apron-strings,  feel- 
ing obliged  to  be  at  home  when  the  bell  rings  for  nine 
o'clock  in  the  evening.     Wherever  night  finds  them, 
there  they  rest,  and  sleep  secure.     Our  party  slept  so 
well  that  it  was  sunrise  before  we  awoke  the  next  morn- 
ing.   After  we  had  washed  our  eyes  open,  we  discovered 
the  smoke  of  Stevens's  fire  nearly  opposite,  and  shortly 
pdddlcd  across  the  river,  where  I  met  with  a  most  cor- 
dial welcome  from  the  colonel  and  his  friend  Hinckley, 
and  another  person  who  had  joined  him,  Mr.  Van  Cleave. 
After  we  had  finished  breakfast,  we  all  started  up  the 
rive).'  for  a  camp  ten  miles  distant,  where  a  party  of  In- 
dians were  engaged  catching  salmon,  and  where  our  In- 
dians proposed  stopping.     Stevens  got  into  the  big  ca- 
noe with  me.  Van  took  the  small  canoe  we  had  been  tow- 
ing, and  Hinckley  took  a  small  boat  or  batteau  he  own- 
ed.     In  this  style  we  proceeded,  sometimes  with  sail 
and  then  with  paddle.  »nd  at  length  reached  the  camp 
about  three  P.M.     As  far  as  we  went  we  found  the  Na- 
sal a  fine  deep  stream,  flowing  through  rich  prairie-lands, 
some  of  which  were  free  from  timber,  and  covered  with  a 
heavy  crop  of  grass,  and  the  rest  covered  with  a  growth 
of  fine  spruce  and  fir  trees,  very  readily  accessible  to  the 
stream,  presenting  great  inducements  for  settlers  to  lo- 
cate on  them. 

On  arriving  at  camp,  we  found  the  Indians  who  were 


THREE   YEARS  AT   SHOAL-WATER   BAY. 


137 


^ 


already  there  had  plenty  of  salmon,  which  they  were 
drying  for  winter's  use.  They  gave  us  a  hearty  meal, 
and  tlien  it  was  proposed  that,  while  the  Indians  were 
preparing  our  camp,  we  should  try  our  luck  at  the  fish- 
ery. I  got  into  my  small  canoe  with  two  Indians  who 
came  with  me,  George  and  Peter,  while  Van  Cleave  and 
Stevens  took  the  batteau.  We  proceeded  up  the  stream 
about  a  mile,  where  we  commenced  floating  down  with 
the  bb.  The  water  was  from  ten  to  twenty  feet  deep, 
and  the  process  of  catching  the  salmon  was  as  follows : 

The  hooks,  which  have  been  described,  after  being 
properly  adjusted  to  the  poles,  which  were  abcut  twenty 
feet  long,  are  put  over  the  side  and  held  in  a  vertical 
position,  keeping  the  hook  just  clear  of  the  bottom.  It 
is  usual  to  have  but  two  persons  in  a  canoe,  one  to  steer, 
and  the  other,  who  sits  at  the  bow,  to  fish.  As  the  boat 
drifts  down  with  the  tide,  the  pole,  with  the  hook  attach- 
ed to  it,  comes  in  contact  with  the  salmon,  who,  when  not 
in  active  motion,  usually  lie  near  the  bottom,  and  are 
generally  quiet  as  soon  as  the  tide  begins  to  ebb. 

As  soon  as  the  Indian  feels  tlie  fish,  he  jerks  up  the 
pole,  and  rarely  fails  to  fasten  the  hook  into  the  salmon, 
who  is  tiien  pulled  on  board  and  knocked  on  the  head. 
The  whole  operation  requires  a  great  deal  of  dexterity 
and  practice,  not  only  to  distinguish  the  difference  be- 
tween a  salmon  and  old  logs,  with  which  the  bottoms  of 
the  rivers  are  usually  covered,  but  also  to  get  the  fish 
into  the  c.noe ;  for  the  salmon  is  a  very  powerful  fish, 
and  a  large  one  makes  a  great  commotion  v/hen  hauled 
to  the  surface  of  the  water,  splashing  and  thrashing  about 
in  a  fearful  manner. 

We  had  drifted  down  a  short  distance,  when  I  found 
that  it  was  useless  for  me  to  attempt  fishing.  I  had 
hauled  up  no  less  than  five  respectable-sized  logs  of 
wood,  each  time  sure  I  had  a  salmon,  while  George,  who 


I 


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p-?J 


■■sr\ 


138 


THE   NORTHWEST   COAST;     OR, 


H 


V* 


i-: 


But  in  the  bow  of  the  canoe,  was  pv.lling  in  the  real  Si- 
mon Pure  ones  as  fast  as  he  could.     The  colonel,  who, 
with  Van,  was  drifting  along  close  to  us,  was  quite  sure 
that  he  could  catch  salmon  as  well  as  an  Indian,  and 
having  hooked  into  what  he  supposed  a  very  large  one, 
gave  a  vigorous  jerk,  which  sci'ved  to  Lury  the  hook 
into  an  old  rotten  log,  and  at  the  same  time  losing  his 
balance,  he  fell  splash  into  the  water,  from  whence  he 
was  rescued  by  Van,  and  conveyed  ashore  to  get  dry. 
Of  course  tiie  exploit  caused  shouts  of  hiughter  from  all 
who  witnessed  it,  in  which  Harry  joined,  and  seemed  to 
enjoy  the  fun  as  nmch  as  any  one.     Meanwhile  we  had 
drifted  down  to  where  the  water  was  very  deep,  and 
George,  having  fastened  to  a  Large  salmon,  lost  his  pole 
by  the  fish  suddenly  diving  and  pulling  the  stick  out  of 
his  liands.     Now,  then,  for  a  chase.     The  fish  kept  in 
the  deep  water,  swimming  rapidly  from  side  to  side,  but, 
as  the  pole  was  buoyant,  tlie  end  of  it  always  kept  above 
water.     So  wc  paddled  first  up  and  then  down  stream, 
then  to  the  right  and  then  to  the  left,  Peter  and  myself 
paddling,  while  George  tried  to  catch  hold  of  the  pole ; 
but  it  seemed  as  if  the  fish  knew  when  wc  were  near; 
for,  every  time  we  approached,  he  would  suddenly  dive, 
and  the  next  we  would  see  of  the  end  of  the  pole  would 
be  some  rods  distant.     We  chased  that  fish  over  half 
an  hour  before  wc  got  him,  but  he  repaid  our  trouble,  as 
he  was  very  large  and  fat.     By  this  time  it  had  become 
dark,  and,  as  1  had  become  tired,  the  Indians  set  me 
ashore,  while  th<^y  proceeded  on  to  continue  their  fishing. 
I  found  the  colonel  with  his  tent  pitched,  himself  rolled 
in  his  blankets,  and  his  clothes  drying  at  a  roaring  fire, 
which  the  Indians  were  attending  to.     I  was  soon  with 
him,  and  shortly  both  of  us  were  asleep. 

The  Indians  did  not  get  through  till  near  midnight, 
and  had  caught,  during  the  time  they  were  employed, 
twenty-three  fine  fish. 


THREE   YEARS  AT   SITOAL- WATER  DAY. 


139 


The  next  morning  Stevens  and  liia  friends  went  down 
tlio  river,  and  I  went  up  stream  to  catch  trout.  About 
four  miles  above  our  camp  the  stream  was  quite  shallow, 
with  occasional  deep  holes,  where  overhanging  roots  made 
just  the  shade  tiio  trout  like  for  their  hiding-places.  I 
had  some  of  the  nicest  sort  of  flies,  of  various  patterns 
and  styles,  and  I  anticipated  rare  sport,  but  after  trying 
half  an  hour  without  the  least  semblance  of  a  bite,  I  re- 
turned to  the  canoe,  from  whence  I  had  strolled  a  short 
distance,  and  there  found  the  two  Indians  who  were  with 
mo  very  leisurely  and  lazily  engaged  in  pulling  in  the 
trout  as  fast  as  they  saw  fit  to  throw  their  hooks  over- 
board. I  call  it  lazy  kind  of  trout-fishing  to  be  engaged 
as  they  were,  for  one  lay  flat  on  his  back  in  the  bow  of 
the  canoe,  with  a  line  in  his  hand  about  three  fathoms 
long,  having  a  hook  attached  to  it  baited  with  a  roe  of 
the  salmon.  No  sooner  would  this  touch  the  water  than 
the  trout  would  dart  at  it  from  all  quarters,  and  the  In- 
dian, with  a  sleight-of-hand  jerk,  would  send  the  captive 
fish  spinning  up  in  the  air,  from  whence  he  was  sure  to 
fall  into  the  canoe.  The  other  Indian  was  half  reclin- 
ing across  the  stern,  with  one  foot  in  tlie  canoe  and  the 
other  in  the  water,  amusing  liimself  by  dividing  his  time 
between  baiting  his  hook  and  starting  off  chips  on  voy- 
ages of  discovery. 

I  found  that  flies  were  of  no  account  among  these  wild 
fish.  They  liad  not  learned  the  ways  of  a  civilized  state 
of  society  ;  so,  putting  up  my  patent  apparatus,  I  adopt- 
ed the  Indian  plan,  and  between  us  three  we  caught 
a  barrelful  in  about  three  hours'  fishing.  There  is  no 
doubt  but  that  fresh  salmon  roe  is  tlie  l)c.  t  bait  in  the 
world  for  a  trout,  and,  in  fact,  all  fish  that  can  get  to  it 
devour  it  greedily.  I  remained  three  days  at  the  camp, 
either  catching  trout  or  shooting  ducks  during  the  day, 
and  the  Indians  catching  the  salmon  during  the  evening 


4 


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140 


THE   NORTHWEST   COAST;    OR, 


and  night.  When  the  fish  were  shy  or  the  Indians  were 
unsuccessful,  they  would  rub  their  hooks  with  the  root 
of  the  wild  celery,  which  has  a  very  aromatic  smell,  and 
is  believed  by  the  Indians  to  be  very  grateful  to  the 
salmon  and  sure  to  attract  them.  I  have  also  seen  the 
Indians  rub  the  celery  root  into  their  nets  at  Chenook 
for  the  same  purpose,  though  I  never  have  tried  its  ef- 
fect, and  have  some  doubt  about  its  value. 

After  we  had  filled  our  canoe  with  dry  salmon  and  a 
couple  of  baiTels  which  we  salted,  we  started  down  the 
river,  and  reached  Stevens's  tent  just  as  the  tide  was 
beginning  to  run  flood.  Here  we  remained  all  that  day 
and  night,  and  by  daylight  the  next  morning  started 
down  the  Bay  with  the  ebb,  and  reached  home  at  twelve 
o'clock. 

The  salmon  in  Shoal-water  Bay,  although  excellent, 
are  not  equal  to  the  early  spring  salmon  at  Chenook ; 
in  fact,  they  are  a  different  species — although  having  the 
same  form,  they  differ  in  color.  The  Chenook  fish  is  of 
a  dark  brown  or  black  on  the  back,  with  the  sides  and 
belly  of  a  glistening  silvery  white.  The  fall  salmon  of 
Shoal-water  Bay  has  dark,  speckled  sides,  and  a  dull, 
whitish  belly,  nor  is  it  so  fat  as  the  Chenook  salmon. 
There  are  several  varieties  of  fall  salmon,  the  most  plen- 
tiful of  which  is  the  hawk-nosed,  or  hook-billed,  or  dog- 
tooth salmon  (for  it  has  all  those  names).  From  the  last 
of  August  to  the  first  of  December  these  salmon  come 
into  the  Bay  in  myriads,  and  every  river,  brook,  creek, 
or  little  stream  is  completely  crammed  with  them,  and 
late  in  the  fall  the  banks  of  the  rivers  are  literally  piled 
up  in  rows  with  the  dead  fish  killed  in  attempting  to  go 
over  the  falls.  After  they  have  cast  their  spawn  tlicir 
flesh  loses  its  pink  color,  and  is  as  white  as  a  codfish. 
At  this  period  they  are  not  considered  of  any  value  ei- 
ther by  whites  or  Indians,  who  term  them  7nusachee^ 


THEEE   YEAES   AT   SHOAL-WATER   BAY. 


141 


or  bad.  I,  however,  have  salted  these  fisH,  and  have 
found  them  fully  equal  to  salt  cod,  which  they  greatly 
resemble  in  taste. 

During  the  early  part  of  September,  the  brig  Palos, 
which  had  taken  a  cargo  of  timber  out  of  the  Bay  for 
San  Francisco,  on  returning  for  another  load,  was  wreck- 
ed at  the  mouth  of  the  harbor  on  Leadbetter  Point.  The 
weather  was  very  fine,  and  the  wind  quite  light,  so  much 
so  that  the  captain  thought  he  could  not  stem  the  cur- 
rent of  the  ebb  tide,  and  came  to  anchor  just  inside  the 
breakers,  when,  not  having  sufficient  scope  to  his  cable, 
she  dragged  during  the  night,  and  went  on  to  the  beach. 
She  had  several  passengers,  who,  with  her  crew,  were 
safely  landed,  but  the  captain,  in  attempting  to  go  on 
board  during  the  night  alone,  was  either  capsized  in  the 
surf  or  fell  overboard,  and  was  drowned.  His  body  was 
found  the  next  day,  and  was  buried  by  the  settlers.  It 
was  found  impracticable  to  get  the  brig  off,  from  want 
of  men ;  so  she  was  stripped,  and  when  the  winter  storms 
set  in,  slie  was  dashed  into  a  thousand  fragments. 

Captain  Purrington  and  myself  had  been  living  all 
this  time  in  our  tent,  and  although  we  had  a  house 
framed  and  nearly  ready  for  raising,  we  concluded  it  was 
our  wisest  plan  to  put  up  a  temporary  cottage,  provided 
we  could  find  boards.  The  tent  was  comfortable  enough 
for  summer,  but  an  occasional  rainy  day  gave  us  warn- 
ing to  prepare  for  winter.  I  scon  heard  of  an  old  de- 
serted lodge,  which  I  bought  of  the  Indians  for  a  trifle, 
and  taking  the  best  boards,  which  I  brought  down  the 
Bay  in  my  big  canoe,  we  made  a  very  comfortable  and 
respectable  little  cottage,  consisting  of  one  room  fifteen 
by  twenty  feet  square.  At;  one  end  were  two  bed-places 
or  bunks,  screened  from  observation  by  red  cotton  cur- 
tains, and  at  the  other  end  were  the  door  and  fireplace, 
which  was  of  large  dimensions,  built,  as.  was  also  the 


•  -f  '.■  -„ 


iHi. 


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■.^k^ 


.:^ 


r^^^ 


142 


THE  NORTHWEST  COAST;   OR, 


!' 


,1^ 


chimney,  of  the  sandy  clay  of  which  the  cliffs  around 
the  Bay  are  composed.  This  clay,  which  appears  to  be 
undergoing  the  slow  process  of  transformation  into  sand- 
stone, falls  from  the  cliffs  in  huge  blocks,  which  can  be 
easily  cut  with  a  hatchet,  and  split  with  as  clean  a  frac- 
ture as  slate-stone.  Out  of  this  material  I  fashioned  a 
famous  chimney.  It  was  the  pride  of  the  Bay,  although 
some  of  the  knowing  ones  thought  it  was  too  handsome 
to  last  long ;  but  I  told  them  they  were  envious ;  and 
certainly,  when  the  fireplace  was  filled  with  great  logs 
of  wood,  blazing,  and  roaring,  and  sending  showers  of 
sparks  and  clouds  of  smoke  up  that  famous  chimney, 
they  did  acknowledge  that  it  was  the  best  chimney  in 
the  county.  Tom  Bartlett  had  given  me  some  iron 
hatch-bars  and  chain-plates  to  make  a  crane,  and  hooks, 
and  trammels,  and  when  we  had  our  tea-kettle  singing 
in  one  corner,  and  the  big  iron  pot  bubbling  and  boiling, 
full  of  something  good,  with  a  loaf  of  hot  bread  in  the 
Dutch  oven,  and  a  pot  of  strong  coffee  beside  it,  we  felt, 
with  our  tight  roof,  that  we  would  be  as  comfortable  as 
any  one  else  in  the  settlement. 

The  Indians  now  brought  us  in  plenty  of  salmon,  and 
we  had  our  hands  full,  salting  and  packing  away  for 
winter's  use.  We  turned  our  tent  into  a  smoke-house, 
and  soon  had  that  filled  with  salmon,  which  we  liad  first 
slightly  salted.  Our  garden  had  yielded  well,  and  we 
had  plenty  of  vegetables,  so  we  felt  pretty  safe  for  the 
winter. 

The  tiies,  which  are  always  the  highest  during  the 
winter  months,  now  began  to  increase,  and  we  found  that 
they  were  getting  rather  close  upon  our  old  tent ;  but 
we  did  not  feel  any  apprehension,  so  did  not  move  any 
thing.  The  location  of  the  mouth  of  the  river  was  an 
excellent  one  for  wild-fowl ;  and  whenever  there  was  a 
blow  from  the  south,  the  water  would  be  full  of  ducks, 


THREE   YEAES  AT  SHOAL-WATER   BAY. 


143 


brant,  and  geese,  with  thousands  of  curlew,  plover,  and 
snipe,  not  to  mention  clouds  of  gulls,  crows,  and  eagles 
that  were  flying  round,  filling  the  air  with  their  harsh 
iio':es.  At  such  times  we  had  no  difficulty  in  keeping 
our  larder  well  supplied,  and  never  felt  sorry  when  the 
weather  gave  indications  of  a  southeaster.  We  soon  had 
enough  to  satisfy  us.  On  the  30th  of  November  it  be- 
gan to  blow,  and  at  high  water,  which  was  at  two  P.M., 
the  tide  came  up  so  high  and  so  rapidly  that  it  washed 
away  our  tent  and  all  our  salmon,  and  set  our  house- 
frame,  weather-boarding,  and  some  ten  or  twelve  thou- 
sand shingles  drifting  up  stream. 

I  soon  got  the  Indians  out,  and,  with  their  help,  man- 
aged to  save  nearly  all  the  lumber  and  fish ;  but  tlie  lat- 
ter was  in  a  very  indifferent  state,  as  the  heads  of  the 
barrels  were  mostly  out,  and  the  salt  water  spoiled  them 
all.  '  'ad  not  got  them  all  secure  when  it  began  to 
rain.  Ii.ere  had  been  a  smart  shower  all  the  time  fjr 
the  last  twenty-four  hours,  but  now  it  began  to  rain,  and, 
as  the  sun  went  down,  the  wind  increased  into  a  gale, 
and  at  times  great  gusts  would  come  sweeping  over  the 
cliff,  and,  descending  on  us  with  a  whirl,  seemed  as  if 
they  would  tear  every  thing  before  them. 

We  had  taken  the  precaution,  before  dark,  to  bring  in 
a  good  pile  of  wood,  and  having  heaped  on  as  much  as 
our  fireplace  would  hold,  which  was  about  half  a  cord, 
we  ate  our  supper,  smoked  our  pipes,  and  went  to  bed, 
but  not  to  sleep.  Now  the  storm  raged  fiercer,  and  was 
accompanied  with  thunder,  and  lightning,  and  hail.  This 
music  of  the  elements  increased  from  forte  to  fortissimo 
— accompanied  with  the  crashing  of  the  trees,  which  had 
been  partially  burned,  on  the  cliff  opposite,  and  were  fall- 
ing with  a  tremendous  noise — till  near  midnight,  when, 
the  constant  torrent  of  rain  having  loosened  the  chimney, 
it  fell  down  with  a  crash ;  and  at  the  iiiStant  a  squall  of 


f-J 


I, 


v;  V-.. 


^., 


"  i- 

i 


.1 


m 


\  \ 


144 


TEE  NORTHWEST  COAST;   OR, 


'■  \ 


^1 


I  ) 

( 
1 

[ 

:  ,1 


* 


wind  whirled  into  the  fireplace,  blowing  about  a  couple 
of  bushels  of  coals  and  ashes  into  the  middle  of  the 
room.  The  captain  and  myself  were  out  of  our  beds 
nearly  at  the  same  time,  and  had  to  work  pretty  lively 
to  1:  p  the  floor  from  taking  fire.  We  scraped  up  the 
coa*si  at  last,  though  not  without  scorching  our  feet  by 
treading  on  the  hot  cinders.  One  of  the  Indians  now 
came  in  with  the  information  that  our  canoes  were  adrift. 
We  did  not  stop  to  dress,  but  hastily  lighting  a  lantern, 
and  launching  a  small  canoe  that  had  fortunately  been 
hauled  up  out  of  reach  of  the  tide,  jumped  into  her,  and, 
after  a  long  search,  recovered  all  the  canoes  but  one, 
which  went  out  to  sea,  and  was  afterward  picked  up  on 
the  beach  nearly  up  to  Gray's  Harbor.  Toward  morn- 
ing the  wind  lulled  and  the  ram  ceased,  when  we  suc- 
ceeded in  putting  up  a  wooden  substitute  for  my  beauti- 
ful chimney ;  tlien  cleared  out  the  bed  of  wet  ashes,  and 
got  some  breakfast. 

While  we  were  engaged  in  eating  we  were  called  on 
by  a  young  man  who  was  living  with  Mr.  Russell.  He 
said  thpt  the  storm  had  done  them  a  deal  of  damage ; 
the  tide  had  washed  away  Russell's  garden  and  fences, 
and  almost  set  his  house  adrift,  and  he  wished  me  to  go 
down  and  see  the  wreck.  I  did  as  he  requested,  and  was 
astonished  to  see  the  damage  done.  Not  only  was  Rus- 
sell's nice  garden  washed  away,  but  a  bulkhead  that  he 
had  been  all  s'lmmer  building  was  torn  to  fragments, 
and  his  house  badly  shattered.  Farther  down  the  beach 
the  damage  was  not  so  great,  and  the  people  were  glad 
to  get  off  with  the  loss  of  their  boats  and  scows.  But 
every  one  had  been  kept  awake,  and  all  considered  it  a 
very  severe  tempest. 

I  came  very  near  losing  my  life  on  my  return.  I  had 
waited  till  afternoon,  and  as  it  was  impossible  to  get 
back  in  a  canoe,  I  was  obliged  to  return  by  the  beach ; 


THREE   YEARS   AT   SHOAIr-WATER  BAY. 


145 


and  the  tide  being  up,  I  liad  to  keep  close  in  to  the  cliffs. 
As  night  closed  in  the  wind  began  to  rise,  and  before  I 
had  reached  half  way  home  it  blew  violently,  accompa- 
nied with  a  drizzling  rain  that  served  to  nearly  blind  me, 
and  it  was  with  difficulty  I  st'anbled  along  over  the 
trees  and  avalanches  of  earth  that  the  storm  had  hurled 
down  from  the  cliffs  above.  I  had  now  to  pass  round 
a  precipitous  point  which  projected  into  the  Bay,  and 
around  which  the  water  was  about  two  feet  deep,  although 
the  tide  was  rapidly  ebbing.  The  wind  dashed  the 
waves  against  this  cliff  so  that  the  spray  flew  higher 
than  my  head,  and  wet  me  through.  I  had  reached  the 
outer  point,  and  could  only  creep  along  by  keeping  as 
close  as  possible  to  the  bank,  which  rose  perpendicularly 
over  my  head  a  hundred  feet,  while  the  waters  of  the 
Bay  prevented  my  going  out  on  the  flats,  which  is  usu- 
ally done  at  low  tide,  for  fear  of  the  falling  trees  and 
clay.  Suddenly  I  heard  an  uproar  overhead,  and  felt  a 
trembling  of  the  earth,  which  plainly  indicated  a  land- 
slide. The^e  I  was,  pinned  up  between  the  cliff  and  the 
water,  with  no  alternative  but  to  wade  along.  At  length 
down  came  a  portion  of  the  cliff  directly  behind  me, 
bringing  in  its  descent  three  or  four  enormous  spruce 
trees,  and  with  a  noise  that  nearly  stunned  me,  and  with 
a  splash  that  completely  covered  me  with  the  muddy 
water.  I  did  not  know  where  it  was  coming  next,  hit 
had  every  reason  to  believe  that  the  whole  face  of  the 
cliff  was  falling.  I,  however,  succeeded  m  getting  round 
the  point,  and  past  all  danger,  and  shortly  reached  the 
house,  covered  with  yellow  mud.  The  captain,  who  had 
been  expecting  me,  had  heard  the  noise  of  the  falling 
mass,  and,  apprehending  some  accident,  was  about  start- 
ing out  with  the  dogs  and  lantern,  when  my  appearance 
satisfied  him  that  at  IcaSt  I  was  alive.  I  did  not  realize 
the  danger,  from  the  excitement  consequent  upon  such  a 


i 


t,--.>   'iH^' 


h^ 


■:f 


^  -'l 


ml 


<!■ 


(' 


0 


G 


146 


THE  NOETHWEST  COAST;   OR, 


..^ 


'I 


f-i 


I    i! 


situation,  till  I  had  fairly  calmed  down,  and  began  to 
reflect  on  the  narrow  escape  I  had. 

The  next  morning  we  visited  the  place,  and  judged 
that  the  quantity  of  clay  that  had  fallen  exceeded  a 
thousand  tons.  The  trees,  one  of  which  measured  six 
feet  through  at  the  butt,  were  splintered  into  fragments 
by  t  concussion  of  the  fall,  and  their  limbs  lay  strewed 
aloii^  thvj  beach  under  the  foot  of  the  cliff.  I  learned 
enough  by  that  adventure  never  to  attempt  the  feat 
again,  and  would  rather  have  stopped  a  week  with  some 
of  the  neighbors  down  the  beach  than  to  have  endeavored 
reaching  home  by  walking  around  the  cliffs  after  dark, 
in  a  gale  of  wind,  and  nearly  high  tide. 

Shortly  after  this  occurrence,  a  Chenook  chief,  named 
To-man  a-wos,  came  over  from  the  Columbia,  and  stop- 
ped in  the  lodge  with  Toke's  people.  I  did  not  fancy 
this  arrangement  at  all,  as  we  had  no  work  to  set  them 
about,  and  I  knew  we  should  be  continually  annoyed 
by  their  begging,  for  they  had  come  to  pass  the  winter. 
They  got  one  dose,  however,  that  warmed  them  up  fine- 
ly. We  always  bought  the  whole  pepper,  preferring  it 
to  the  mixture  of  dirt,  cinders,  corn -meal,  and  store 
sweepings  usually  sold  as  ground  pepper,  and,  when  we 
wished  any  ground  or  pulverized,  were  accustomed  to  use 
our  coffee-mill,  and,  after  finishing  the  pepper,  would 
clean  the  mill  by  grinding  a  handful  or  two  of  coffee, 
which  afterward  was  thrown  away. 

One  morning,  the  captain,  having  ground  some  pepper 
and  cleaned  the  mill  in  the  usual  manner,  left  the  mix- 
ture cf  coffee  and  pepper  in  a  tea-cup  on  the  table,  and 
both  of  us  went  out  to  chop  some  wood. 

Old  Suis,  being  desirous  to  treat  her  friends  to  a  cup 
of  coffee  (a  beverage  all  the  Coast  Indians  are  fond  of); 
sent  over  to  our  house  to  borrow  some.  The  little  girl 
who  came,  not  finding  either  of  us  in,  and  seeing  a  cup 


\M. 


THREE  YEAES  AT  SHOAL-WATER  BAT. 


147 


full  of  freshly-ground  coffee,  took  it  without  saying  any 
thing,  and  carried  it  to  old  Suis,  who  poured  it  into  a  tea- 
kettle and  gave  it  a  good  boiling,  after  which  the  decoc- 
tion was  served  round  with  plenty  of  sugar,  and  drunk 
as  hot  as  they  could  bear  it.  The  first  we  learned  of 
the  matter  was  seeing  the  whole"  of  the  Indians,  old  and 
young,  running  toward  us  with  their  mouths  open, 
tongues  out,  and  all  blowing  like  so  many  locomotive 
engines.  "Holloa!"  said  the  captain  to  me,  "what's 
the  matter  now,  do  you  suppose  ?  What  jugglery  can 
they  be  up  to,  puffing  away  at  that  rate  ?"  I  was  as 
much  at  a  loss  as  he  was,  and  watched  them  till  they  all 
came  up  and  sat  down  around  us.  At  last  old  Suis, 
who  had  a  quart  pot  of  water  with  her  to  cool  her  tongue 
in,  made  out  to  tell  me  what  was  the  matter,  and  to 
charge  me  with  having  put  some  bad  medicine  in  the 
coffee  to  kill  them. 

When  we  understood  w?  was  the  trouble,  we 
laughed  so  that  I  could  not  explain  to  them  the  state  of 
affairs  ;  but,  finding  they  did  not  consider  the  matter  as  a 
joke — certainly  not  a  cool  one — I  told  them  the  reas'^n 
the  pepper  was  with  the  coffee,  and  took  occasion  to  r  1 
them  a  lecture  on  taking  things  without  asking.  They 
were  careful  after  that  to  find  out  what  were  the  ingre- 
dients of  coffee  before  they  ventured  to  drink.  The  dose 
did  not  harm  them,  although  they  went  blowing  round 
all  day,  to  the  intense  delight  of  the  captain,  who  was 
always  glad  to  have  them  "  served  out,"  as  he  called  it, 
whenever  they  went  round  pilfering. 

I  have  before  mentioned  their  superstitious  belief  in 
the  spirits  of  the  dead,  or  memelose,  as  they  term  them, 
and  we  soon  had  another  sample.  One  night  we  heard 
three  reports  of  gunshots  in  the  lodge.  "  Now  they  are 
having  sport,"  said  the  old  man;  "  well,  let  them  fight 
it  out,  I  shaVt  go  near  them."    He  had  scarcely  spoken, 


if 


%- 


m 


Q  a 


.n 


p**- 


'..^•' 


148 


THE  NORTHWEST  COAST;    OR, 


'4 


1: 


1 


when  one  of  the  Indians,  looking  half  scared  to  death, 
burst  open  the  door,  and  begged  me  to  take  my  lantern 
and  go  over  to  the  lodge.  I  asked  him  what  was  the 
matter.  He  said  that  they  had  heard  a  canoe  with  many 
paddles  come  up  the  river,  and  supposing  it  to  contain 
some  friends,  went  out  to  meet  them ;  but,  although  they 
called  several  times,  they  received  no  reply,  when  they 
became  alarmed,  and  Tomanawos  fired  off  his  rifle ;  but 
the  memelose  chased  them  into  the  lodge,  and  then  To- 
manawos fired  his  double-barreled  gun.  But  the  meme" 
lose  was  there  still,  and  they  were  all  afraid,  and  wished 
me  to  go  over,  as  the  memelose  were  afraid  of  a  white 
man  and  would  leave.  I  accordingly  lit  my  lantern  and 
followed  the  Indian  over.  I  found  them  all  budded  into 
their  bunks,  afraid  to  stir.  Tomanawos  then  handed  me 
his  gun,  which  he  had  again  loaded,  with  the  request  that 
I  would  fire  it  off.  I  did  so,  sending  both  charges  di- 
rectly through  the  roof,  when  they  pronounced  the  w^m- 
elose  to  be  driven  off,  and  all  came  out  of  their  hiding- 
places  highly  gratified.  It  was  of  no-  use  for  me  to  at- 
tempt to  reason  with  them  on  the  folly  of  their  super- 
stition ;  they  would  not  reason  or  talk  on  the  subject ; 
but  to  any  attempt  to  convince  them  of  the  absurdity  of 
their  fears  they  had  but  one  reply,  "You  are  a  white 
man,  and  can't  see  or  hear  our  memelose  /  but  we  In- 
dians can,  and  we  understand  their  talk,  and  you  do 
not." 

The  captain  made  all  sorts  of  fun  of  the  nonsense,  as 
he  called  it,  and  was  always  laughing  at  them ;  but  I, 
on  the  contrary,  endeavored  to  get  them  to  explain  their 
views  to  me,  and  always  tried  to  respect  their  feelings. 
When  I  returned  and  related  the  circumstances  to  the 
old  man,  he  was  very  much  delighted,  and  promised  to  fix 
up  a  memelose  for  them  the  next  night,  provided  I  would 
not  say  any  thing  to  the  Indians.     He  then  selected  a 


pumpki] 
ing  the 
mouth,  I 
ghastly- 
out  of  si 
and  plac 
some  bi 
lodge  fir 
ped  out  \ 
pered  to 
and  then 
there. 

Tomdi 
the  objec 
they  wen 
ed  in  his 
stumbled 
their  terrc 
highly  pi 
But  it 
and  I  adv 
on  their  c 
Iturne 
account  c 
simple  ex 
the  India 
while  pac 
would  lig 
up  before 
a  gun  wa 
would  wa 
us  take  a 
several,  bi 
one  I  kill 
length  on 


THREE  YEARS  AT  SHOAL-WATER  BAY. 


149 


'I'n 


pumpkin  with  a  green  rind,  and  hollowed  it  out,  scrap- 
ing the  inside  down  to  the  thin  skin  for  nose,  eyes,  and 
mouth,  so  that,  by  placing  a  candle  inside,  a  green  and 
ghastly-looking  spectre  was  produced.  This  was  kept 
out  of  sight  till  the  next  night,  when  he  carried  it  over, 
and  placed  it  directly  in  front  of  the  lodge  door,  among 
some  bushes.  He  then  went  in  and  sat  down  by  the 
lodge  fire.  After  a  few  minutes  one  of  the  slaves  step- 
ped out  for  some  wood,  but  directly  came  back  and  whis- 
pered to  old  Suis,  who,  in  turn,  whispered  to  the  rest, 
and  then  they  huddled  round  the  door  to  see  what  was 
there.  -<  .  t 

Tomdnawos  and  Peter  got  down  their  guns,  and  gave 
the  object  a  couple  of  shots  without  effect ;  but,  while 
they  were  loading  again,  old  Toke,  who  had  just  return- 
ed in  his  canoe,  came  up  without  seeing  the  light,  and 
stumbled  over  a  log,  and  fell  directly  on  the  object  of 
their  terror.  Then  they  discovered  what  it  was,  and  were 
highly  pleased  when  they  found  it  to  be  a  joke. 

But  it  did  not  have  the  effect  the  captain  intended, 
and  I  advised  him  not  to  attempt  any  mor<^  experiments 
on  their  credulity. 

I  turned  their  belief  in  my  medical  knowledge  to  good 
account  on  several  occasions,  and  was  able,  by  a  very 
simple  experiment,  to  save  all  of  our  cabbages,  of  which 
the  Indians  were  very  fond.  We  had  been  annoyed, 
while  packing  our  salmon,  by  thousands  of  crows,  who 
would  light  down  in  flocks  on  our  salmon,  and  eat  them 
up  before  our  eyey ;  but  the  cunning  rascals  knew  what 
a  gun  was,  and,  although  they  were  so  bold  that  they 
would  walk  about  like  poultry,  yet  the  moment  they  saw 
us  take  a  gun  frpm  the  house  they  were  off.  I  had  shot 
several,  but  it  was  of  no  use ;  it  seemed  tha*  for  every 
one  I  killed  there  was  an  increase  of  a  hundred.  At 
length  one  day,  while  overhauling  my  trunk,  I  found  a 


L,' 


'b 


*v      HI 


,  K" 


"id 


150 


THE  NORTHWEST  COAST;    OR, 


!:ii  ' 


paper  of  strychnine.  I  immediately  put  some  on  three 
or  four  salmon,  vrhich  I  laid  out  for  the  crows.  Down 
they  came  and  gobbled  up  the  fish,  and  then,  with  a 
squawk,  would  roll  over  on  their  backs  and  die.  In  this 
manner  I  slew  a  great  number,  and  it  had  the  effect  of 
frightening  the  rest  so  bad  that  they  did  not  trouble  us 
any  more. 

The  Indians  saw  the  whole  affair,  and  at  first  were 
very  much  pleased  to  see  me  kill  those  '*  bad  birds,"  as 
they  call  the  crows ;  but  old  Suis  told  them  she  was 
afraid,  if  I  got  vexed,  that  I  might  put  some  of  that  white 
medicine  where  they  themselves  would  be  poisoned.  I 
assured  her  such  would  not  be  the  case  except  with  the 
cabbages,  for  I  had  found  some  of  her  people  had  been 
helping  themselves ;  so  I  selected  out  a  dozen  heads, 
which  I  told  her  she  might  have,  and  then  asked  her  to 
go  round  with  me  and  see  me  put  the  white  medicine  on 
the  rest.  She  did  so,  and  I  sprinkled  every  cabbage- 
head  with  flour,  which  I  had  previously  put  into  a  blue 
paper  similar  to  that  the  strychnine  was  in.  The  effect 
was  excellent,  and  we  never  lost  another  cabbage. 


^^ 


THREE  YEARS  AT  SHOAL-WATER  BAY. 


161 


» 


CHAPTER  X. 

Old  Suis  relates  about  the  Indians  of  the  Bay. — A  Description  of  the 
Coast  Indians. — Writers  apt  to  confuse  the  Reader  in  Accounts  of 
Indians. — General  Appearance. — Dress  of  Women. — Dress  of  Men. 
— Smoking. — Fondness  for  Ardent  Spirits. — Whom  they  received  the 
first  from. — Gambling. — A  Description  of  gambling  Games. — Orna- 
ments.— Description  of  the  Howqua  or  Wampum. — Method  of  ob- 
taining the  Shells.— Evidences  of  Wealth.— Great  Weight  of  Ear  Or- 
naments.— Position  of  Females  among  the  Coast  Tribes. — Duties  of 
Women.  —  Various  Manufactures.  —  Lodge  Furniture.  —  Ancient 
Method  of  Cooking.  —  Bread-making. — Peter's  Method  of  making 
Bread. — Time  of  Eating. —  Slaves. — Fondness  of  Indians  for  their 
Children. — Method  of  flattening  the  Head. — Flat  Head  a  mark  of 
Aristocracy , — Reception  of  Strangers. — Reception  of  Friends. — Sin- 
gular Custom. — Great  Newsmongers. — Poly;;amy. — Customs  toward 
young  Girls. — Singular  Superstition.— Fasts. — lleligioo. — Heathen* 
ism. 

Old  Suis  had  fonnerly  lived  on  the  same  spot  where 
we  were  now  residing,  and  it  was  there  her  first  husband 
was  killed.  It  was  many  years  ago,  she  said,  that  a 
party  of  warriors  from  Chehalis,  called  the  Que-ndi-nar, 
or  the  Strong  Men,  came  to  her  lodge,  and,  having  got 
into  a  wrangle  with  her  husband,  chased  him  across  the 
creek  and  killed  him.  They  then  went  up  the  Palux 
to  near  where  old  Tomhays  had  built  his  lodge,  where 
they  had  a  fight,  and  killed  a  great  number  of  Palux  In- 
dians ;  and  the  place  was  ever  after  called  A-wil-ka-tum- 
ar,  or  the  Bloody  Ground.  The  chief  who  headed  the 
expedition  was  named  Kaith-lah-wil^-nu,  a  very  savage 
fellow,  who  was  soon  afterward  killed  by  the  Queniult 
Indians. 

As  I  became  more  familiar  with  the  language,  and  the 
Indians  became  better  acquainted  with  me,  they  gradu- 
ally threw  off  their  reserve,  and  were  much  more  ready 


>•  A 


A 


'.•!(.t 


f.' 


'tV 


T        'rig 


I 


*,  .1' 


i* 


M 


■M 


'•  !*•  "^  r 


152 


THE  NORTHWEST  COAST;    OR, 


HI 

• 

■  -I 


to  communicate  information  on  any  subject  I  wished  to 
speak  about  than  they  at  tirst  hud  been. 

We  are  too  apt  to  consider  the  Indian  as  the  being  he 
is  represented  in  those  iictitious  tales  and  poems  of  im- 
aginary Indian  life  which  have  been  in  use  from  the  iirst 
days  of  the  settlement  of  the  American  continent.  "  It 
was  supposed,'*  says  Schoolcraft,  **  that  the  Indian  was 
at  all  times  and  in  uU  places  *  a  stoic  of  the  woods,'  al- 
ways statuesque,  always  formal,  always  passionless,  al- 
ways on  stilts,  always  speaking  in  metaphors,  a  cold  im- 
bodiment  of  bravery,  endurance,  and  savage  heroism. 
Writers  depicted  him  as  a  man  who  uttered  nothing  but 
principles  of  natural  right,  who  always  harangued  elo- 
quently, and  was  ready,  with  unmoved  philosophy,  on  all 
occasions,  to  sing  his  death-song  at  the  stake,  to  show 
the  world  how  a  warrior  should  die."  The  Indian  is 
naturally  reserved  before  strangers,  and  very  suspicious. 
He  is  full  of  superstitious  beliefs,  and  distrustful,  deem- 
ing every  man  his  enemy  till  he  has  proved  to  tlie  con- 
trary. At  all  times  and  places  he  is  under  influences  of 
hopes  and  fears,  and  it  is  his  fear  that  makes  him  sus- 
picious, and  his  ignorance  that  makes  him  superstitious ; 
and  those  persons  who  have  only  met  the  Indian  under 
such  circumstances  can  only  view  him  as  the  individual 
represented  above.  But  let  the  Indian  once  get  acquaint- 
ed, and  feel  that  he  is  in  the  presence  of  a  friend  and 
one  who  feels  an  interest  in  his  welfare,  and  he  then 
throws  off  this  reserve,  and  then  it  is  seea  that  he  can 
talk  and  laugh  like  the  rest  of  the  human  family.  His 
reserve  is  most  completely  thrown  off  when  at  home  in 
the  midst  of  his  lodge  circle,  or  in  seasons  of  leisure  and 
retirement  in  the  depths  of  the  forest.  Then  the  stran- 
ger who  may  have  gained  his  confidence  not  only  has 
the  opportunity  to  learn  his  method  of  domestic  econo- 
my, but  can  hear  the  relation  of  those  tales  and  legends 


THREE  YEARS  AT  SHOAL-WATER  BAT. 


108 


which  have  been  Iianded  down  from  generation  to  gen- 
eration, and  which  the  casual  visitor  or  stranger  is  never 
permitted  to  listen  to. 

As  it  was  not  till  after  I  had  become  well  acquainted 
with  the  people  and  their  language  that  I  was  enabled  to 
get  their  idei  s  of  their  origin,  I  shall  leave  that  subject 
for  a  future  consideration,  and  commence  with  a  descrip- 
tion of  these  Indians  just  as  I  found  them ;  and  as  I 
only  intend  giving  an  account  of  what  I  actually  saw,  I 
trust  that  my  descriptions  of  the  Indians  may  be  under- 
stood to  refer  to  those  tribes  on  the  coast  from  the  Co- 
lumbia to  Fuca's  Straits,  and  not  to  Indians  of  the  in- 
terior, whose  habits  and  customs  are  necessarily  differ- 
ent ;  for,  although  the  whole  Pacific  region,  an  1,  in  far.*', 
the  whole  American  continent,  from  the  Esquimaux  at 
the  north  to  the  Patagonians  at  the  south,  appears  to  be 
peopled  with  one  and  the  same  race,  differing  but  slip^V 
ly,  considering  the  varieties  of  soil,  climate,  and  si  ua- 
tion,  and  the  consequent  varieties  in  the  mode  of  life,  yet 
writers  are  too  apt,  in  speaking  of  the  American  Indians, 
to  confound  the  customs  of  tribes  whose  manners,  in  fact, 
are  entirely  different.  This  only  serves  to  confuse  the 
reader,  without  answering  any  good  end.  Thus  one  writ- 
er on  the  Indians  of  California  and  Oregon  asserts  that 
it  is  the  universal  custom  of  the  Indians  to  burn  the 
bodies  of  their  dead.  Another,  with  equal  earnestness, 
states  that  they  always  bury  their  dead  in  c-.roes ;  while 
another,  quite  as  certain,  states  that  they  t^re  buried  in 
rude  boxes  deposited  in  the  earth.  These  writers  were 
all  right  so  far  as  what  they  had  per,^onally  witnessed. 
The  Digger  Indians  of  California  d)  burn  their  dead,  but 
the  Chenook  and  other  Coast  Indians  bury  their  dead  in 
canoes,  and  the  Indians  of  the  interior,  who  have  no  ca- 
noes, perform  their  interments  in  the  earth. 

Of  the  Coast  Indians  that  I  have  seen  there  seems  to 

G2 


m 


w 


If" 


i'  1 


154 


THE  NORTHWEST  COAST;    OR, 


vl 


-•Si 


t  ■' 


:i 


1      I 


'iM 


n  ^ 


be  so  little  difference  in  their  style  of  living  that  a  de- 
scription of  one  family  will  answer  for  the  whole. 

The  Indians  north  of  the  Columbia  are,  for  the  most 
part,  good-looking,  robust  men,  some  of  them  having  fine, 
symmetrical  forms.  They  have  been  represented  as  di- 
minutive, with  crooked  legs  and  uncouth  features.  This 
is  not  correct ;  but,  as  a  general  rule,  the  direct  reverse 
is  the  truth.  Their  complexion  is  that  of  the  usual  cop- 
per color  of  the  North  American  Indians,  but  their  col-< 
or  is  much  lighter  than  the  Indians  of  California,  or  those 
of  Missouri,  Alabama,  or  Florida.  The  hair  of  both 
sexes  is  long  and  very  black,  that  of  the  men  hanging 
loose  over  the  shoulders,  while  the  women,  as  a  usual 
thing,  tie  theirs  up  behind  in  a  sort  of  cue,  and  the  young 
girls  braid  theirs  into  two  tails,  with  the  ends  tied  with 
ribbons  or  twine.  Both  sexes  part  the  hair  on  the  top 
cf  the  head,  and  take  great  pains  to  keep  it  well  combed, 
although  their  combs  have  usually  very  coarse  teeth,  not 
well  adapted  to  remove  either  dirt  or  insects.  They  are 
very  fond  of  dress,  and  are  apt  and  excellent  imitators. 
The  women  are  expert  with  the  needle,  and  fashion  and 
make  their  dresses  with  great  rapidity,  imitating  as  near 
as  ^hey  can  the  dresses  of  the  white  women  they  may 
have  seen.  They  prefer  calicoes  with  small  figures  on 
them;  and  a  blue  ground,  with  little  white  dots  or 
sprigs,  seems  to  be  the  most  in  demand.  White  blank- 
ets are  usually  preferred,  but  some  will  wear  blue  or 
green,  and  a  few  buy  red  ones ;  but  white,  with  a  very 
narrow  black  stripe  across  the  ends,  is  the  favorite. 

They  are  excellent  judges  of  such  articles  as  they  want 
and  are  accustomed  to.  The  women  try  the  calicoes,  to 
ascertain  if  the  colors  are  fast,  by  chewing  the  cloth  in 
their  mouths.  The  men  are  fond  of  getting  boots  or 
shoes,  and  stockings,  though,  as  a  general  thing,  neither 
men  or  women  wear  any  thing  on  theii.  feet,  the  mild- 


THREE   YEABS   AT   SHOAL-WATER   BAY. 


155 


ness  of  the  climate,  and  their  being  so  much  in  the  wa- 
ter, making  them  too  much  of  an  incumbrance;  and  I 
have  frequently  seen  persons  of  both  sexes,  who  had  been 
sitting  in  the  house  for  some  time  with  shoes  and  stock- 
ings on,  take  them  off  as  soon  as  they  were  ready  to  get 
into  their  canoes.  Before  the  introduction  of  blankets 
and  calicoes  among  them,  they  used  the  dressed  skins  of 
the  deer,  bear,  and  sea-otter.  The  women  wore  a  sort 
of  skirt  or  tunic,  made  from  the  inner  bark  of  the  young 
cedar,  prepared  by  beating  till  it  was  soft,  and  then  spun 
into  a  yam-like  thread,  which  was  woven  thickly  on  a 
string  that  passed  around  the  body,  the  ends  hanging 
down  like  a  thick  fringe  reaching  to  the  knees.  This 
garment  is  still  used  by  old  women,  and  by  all  the  fe- 
males when  they  are  at  work  in  the  water,  and  is  called 
by  them  their  siwash  coat,  or  Indian  gown. 

The  young  men  dress  in  clothes  procured  from  the 
whites,  and  some  of  them,  when  dressed  up,  look  well 
enough  to  appear  in  almost  any  company.  The  old 
men,  like  old  Toke  and  his  old  brother  Colote,  seldom 
wear  any  clothing  but  a  shirt  and  a  blanket. 

Some  of  them  are  very  fond  of  smoking  tobacco,  but 
the  practice  is  not  common.  They  mix  the  dried  leaves 
of  the  bearberry  [Arbuttts  uva  ursi)  with  their  tobacco, 
which  they  then  call  kinuse  or  kinutl.  The  plant  is 
called  quer-lo-e-chintl.  Tobacco,  when  thus  mixed,  is 
much  improved,  and  I  prefer  it,  for  smoking,  to  the  com- 
mon coarse,  cheap  trash  usually  found  for  sale  on  the 
frontiers.  Some  of  these  Indians  will  stupefy  them- 
selves for  a  short  time  by  swallowing  quantities  of 
smoke,  which,  after  being  retained  in  the  stomach  and 
lungs  a  while,  is  poured  out  in  volumes  from  the  mouth 
and  nostrils.  They  are  all  extravagantly  fond  of  ar-! 
dent  spirits,  and  are  not  particular  what  kind  they  have, 
provided  it  is  strong,  and  gets  them  drunk  quickly.    This 


in 


lit*. 


m 


III 


^¥ 


■y 

^:'!■• 


?^  iV  1 


1^^ 


^ 
■T". 


156 


THE  NORTHWEST  COAST;    OR, 


!    }■ 


■;  ,# 


S4 

$ 


habit  they  have  acquired  since  the  visit  of  Lewis  and 
Clarke  in  1805,  for  they  state  that  they  had  not  ob- 
served any  liquors  of  an  intoxicating  kind  used  among 
any  of  the  Indians  west  of  the  Rocky  Mountains ;  and 
old  Carcumcum  has  related  to  me  the  fact  of  her  remem- 
bering the  first  time  that  any  liquor  was  given  to  the 
Chenook  Indians,  and,  from  her  description,  I  should 
think  it  was  when  Broughton  went  into  the  Columbia  in 
the  brig  Chatham,  for  she  said  the  (t/ee,  or  chief  of  the 
vessel,  had  ffold  dollar  things,  meaning  epaulets,  on  his 
shoulders,  and  was  in  a  man-of-war.  They  drank  some 
rum  out  of  a  wine-glass — how  much  she  did  not  recol- 
lect; but  she  did  recollect  that  they  got  drunk,  and 
were  so  scared  at  the  strange  feeling  that  they  ran  into 
the  woods  and  hid  till  they  were  sober.  The  rest,  who 
did  not  get  any  rum,  thought  they  had  gone  crazy  or 
had  turned  foolish,  and  applied  to  them  the  word  pilton 
or  pelton^  meaning  a  crazy  or  foolish  man,  a  term  which 
is  still  applied  to  a  drunken  person.  Partlelum  is  an- 
other term  for  drunkenness — -partle,  full ;  Zwr/i,  rum ;  or, 
full  of  rum.  They  have  been  apt  learners  since  that 
time,  and  now  will  do  any  thing  for  the  sake  of  whisky. 
Old  Carcumcum  said  they  had  but  a  very  little  rum 
from  the  traders  till  the  settlement  of  Astoria,  when  they 
began  to  get  a  little  more  used  to  it ;  and  as  the  country 
has  become  settled,  they  can  get  it  readily  from  all  quar- 
ters. 

Another,  and  the  more  natural  vice,  these  Indians  pos- 
sess is  an  ttachment  to  gambling,  which  they  will  pur- 
sue at  all  hazards,  and  with  a  most  fearful  earnestness. 
Not  only  will  they  stake  all  their  property,  even  to  strip- 
ping themselves  of  their  shirts  and  blankets,  but  I  have 
known  them  sell  themselves  as  slaves  for  a  term  of 
years,  or  till  another  lucky  chance  enables  them  to  pay 
up  their  bets.  ,    „,, 


*'f- 


THREE   YEAK8  AT  SHOAL-WATER  BAY. 


157 


Frequent  wrangles,  fights,  and  deadly  strife  are  caused 
during  these  gambling  scenes,  and  whenever  any  whisky 
can  be  obtained,  serious  results  often  ensue.  The  prin- 
cipal and  favorite  game  is  called  La-hull.  This,  though 
apparently  a  word  of  French  origin,  is,  I  believe,  an  In- 
dian word,  for  I  know  of  no  French  word  sounding  any 
thing  like  it  which  is  at  all  applicable  to  the  game, 
which  is  thus  played :  A  mat  is  first  placed  on  the  floor, 
with  the  centre  raised  up  so  as  to  form  a  small  ridge, 
which  is  kept  in  its  place  by  four  wooden  pins  stuck 
through  the  mat  into  the  ground.  Two  persons  play  at 
this  game,  who  are  seated  at  each  end  of  the  mat.  Each 
player  has  ten  discs  of  wood,  two  inches  in  diameter,  and 
a  little  over  an  eighth  of  an  inch  thick,  resembling  the 
men  used  in  playing  backgammon,  but  much  larger. 
The  only  distinguishing  feature  about  these  men,  or 
wheels,  is  the  different  manner  the  edges  are  colored. 
There  are  but  two  pieces  of  value;  one  has  the  edge 
blackened  entirely  round,  and  the  other  is  perfectly  plain, 
while  the  others  have  different  quantities  of  color  on 
them,  varying  from  the  black  to  the  white.  These  discs 
are  then  inclosed  in  a  quantity  of  the  inner  bark  of  the 
cedar,  pounded  very  fine,  and  called  tupsoe.  The  player, 
after  twisting  and  shuffling  them  up  in  all  sorts  of  forms, 
separates  them  into  two  equal  parts,  both  being  envel- 
oped in  the  tupsoe.  These  are  then  rapidly  moved  about 
on  the  mat  from  side  to  side,  the  other  player  keeping 
his  eyes  most  intently  fixed  upon  them  all  the  time. 
He  has  bet  either  on  the  black  or  the  white  one,  and  now, 
to  win,  has  to  point  out  which  of  the  two  parcels  con- 
tains it.  As  soon  as  he  makes  his  selection,  which  is 
done  by  a  gesture  of  his  hand,  the  parcel  is  opened,  and 
each  piece  is  rolled  down  the  mat  to  the  ridge  in  the  cen- 
tre. He  can  thus  see  the  edges  of  all,  and  knows  wheth- 
er he  has  lost  or  won.     They  will  play  at  this  game 


IS 


.a?"'' 


LA 
'  '■''1 


^.,\: 


! 


'^  : 

; 

m 

; .  ■  -^^'l 

■« ' 

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l\i 

n 

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n 

■A  A 


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158 


THE  NORTHWEST  COAST;   OB, 


sometimes  for  weeks,  particularly  during  the  winter  sea- 
son, only  leaving  off  to  sleep  a  little,  or  eat. 

Another  game  is  played  by  little  sticks  or  stones 
which  are  rapidly  thrown  from  hand  to  hand  with  the 
skill  of  experienced  jugglers,  accompanied  all  the  while 
by  some  song  atlaplcd  to  the  occasion,  the  winning  or 
losing  the  game  depending  on  being  able  to  guess  cor- 
rectly which  hand  the  stick  is  in.  This  game  can  be 
played  by  any  number  of  persons,  and  is  usually  resort- 
ed to  when  the  members  of  two  different  tribes  meet,  and 
is  a  sort  of  trial  of  superiority.  Before  commencing  the 
game  the  betting  begins,  and  each  article  staked  is  put 
before  the  owner,  and  whoever  wins  takes  the  whole 
pile. 

Another  game,  which  is  usually  played  by  the  women, 
consists  in  a  sort  of  dice  mcde  of  beaver's  teeth,  with 
hieroglyphics  on  them.  These  are  shaken  in  the  hand, 
and  thrown  down,  the  game  being  according  to  the  mark 
on  the  teeth,  as  the  spots  are  counted  on  dice. 

The  ornaments  worn  by  these  Indians  are  not  very 
various,  the  men  being  contented  with  a  black  ostrich 
plume  tied  like  a  band  round  their  caps,  though  some 
will  occasionally  stick  an  eagle's  feather  in  their  hair,  or 
add  a  few  of  the  tail-feathers  of  the  blue  jay  to  their  cap 
ornament. 

The  women  are  fond  of  dark  blue  cut  glass  beads, 
which  are  highly  prized.  Light  blue  ones  are  only 
worn  by  the  slaves.  But  the  most  valued  ornament  is 
the  howqua  or  wampum.  This  is  a  species  of  small 
shell,  of  a  cylindrical  shape,  pointed  at  one  end,  slightly 
curved,  and  resembling  a  nearly  straight  horn.  It  is  a 
species  of  the  Denticularium,  and  is  found  by  the  north- 
em  Indians  somewhere  north  of  Vancouver's  Island.  It 
passes  as  money  among  them,  and  is  called  Siwash  dol- 
lars. 


Th 

ed  ful] 

Thisl 

into  tl 

points 

hold  c 

Anoth( 

a  large 

that  dc 

ded  in 

I,  how€ 

not  spe 

pure  w] 

head  oi 

striking 

As  thes 


-  5=^ 


,1 


THREE  TEARS  AT  SHOAL-WATER  BAT. 


159 


The  method  by  which  this  shell  is  obtained  is  said  by 
Jewett  to  be  thus :  A  piece  of  wood  a  foot  square  is  fill- 
ed full  of  little  pegs,  which  are  sharpened  to  a  fine  point. 
This  block  is  fastened  to  a  long  pole,  and  thrust  down 
into  the  water  till  it  reaches  the  shell-fish,  and  the  sharp 
points  enter  the  hollow  shells,  breaking  them  from  their 
hold  on  the  bottom,  and  bringing  them  to  the  surface. 
Another  method  described  to  me  by  the  Indians  is  to  tie 
a  large  piece  of  seal  or  whale  meat  to  a  pole,  and  press 
that  down  firmly  on  the  shells,  which,  becoming  imbed- 
ded in  the  meat,  are  easily  broken  ofi^,  and  thus  secured. 
I,  however,  have  never  seen  the  operation,  therefore  can 
not  speak  positively  on  the  subject.  These  shells  are 
pure  white,  and,  when  made  up  into  bands  for  the  fore- 
head or  for  ear  ornaments,  are  very  pretty,  and  form  a 
striking  contrast  with  the  jet  black  hair  of  the  females. 
As  these  shells  are  evidences  of  wealth,  the  women  are 
anxious  to  display  as  many  as  they  can  on  great  occa- 
Some  of  these  girls  I  have  seen  with  the  whole 


sions. 


rim  of  their  ears  bored  full  of  holes,  into  each  of  which 
would  be  inserted  a  string  of  these  shells  that  reached 
to  the  floor,  and  the  whole  weighing  so  heavy  *hat,  to 
save  their  ears  from  being  pulled  off,  they  were  obliged 
to  wear  a  band  across  the  top  of  the  head.  In  addition 
to  these  shell  ornaments,  which  are  seldom  worn,  they 
have,  for  common  wear,  brass  rings  around  their  wrists 
and  arms,  and  gold,  silver,  or  brass  finger-rings.  Silver 
rings  are  preferred,  and  these  are  usually  made  by  the 
brothers  or  lovers  for  the  young  ^irls  out  of  the  silver 
coin  they  get  from  the  whites. 

The  rest  of  their  ornaments  are,  like  those  of  the  white 
women,  made  up  from  shawls,  or  ribbons,  or  some  showy 
pattern  for  a  dress. 

They  are  very  eager  to  get  the  camphor-wood  trunks 
that  come  from  China,  covered  with  bright  red  or  green 


p. 
'-■J '»■ 


^^v'^.n 


'■•♦ 


■m- 


%v,?-^'' 


160 


THE  KORTHWEST  COAST;  OR, 


!    M 


paint,  and  studded  with  brass  nails.  Into  these  they 
will  stow  every  thing  they  can  get. 

Articles  of  crocl.tiiy  are  very  desirable ;  ar.d  although 
they  seldom  use  knives  and  forks,  or  disiios,  KtiU  they 
like  to  have  them,  and  feel  proud,  when  a  white  person 
eats  with  them,  to  have  a  cbance  to  show  cit  thci:.  tabic 
furniture. 

With  these  Indians  the  position  of  the  women  is  not 
so  degraded  as  with  the  tribes  of  the  Plains.  I  <5wis  and 
Clarke,  who  noticed  the  fact  froT.i  its  mfiiked  difference 
from  those  tribes  they  had  journeyed  arnorg,  rcaiarV ; 

*'  Tho  treatment  of  women  is  ofteii  considerrd  a»  the 
standv4id  hy  which  ihe  moral  qualities  of  savages  are  to 
be  e3tiiif\:ited.  Our  own  observation,  however,  induces 
us  to  think  that  the  importance  of  the  female  in  savage 
iiff:  has  no  necessary  relation  to  the  virtues  of  the  men, 
but  is  regidated  wholly  by  their  capacily  to  be  useful. 
Where  the  women  can  aid  in  procuring  sustenance  for 
the,  tribe,  they  are  treated  with  more  equiility,  and  their 
importance  is  proportioned  to  the  share  which  they  take 
in  that  labor,  while  in  countries  where  the  sustenance  is 
chiefly  procured  by  the  exertions  of  the  men,  the  women 
are  considered  and  treated  as  burdens.  Thus  among 
the  Clatsops  and  Chenooks,  who  live  chiefly  upon  fish 
and  roots,  which  the  wonen  are  equally  expert  with  the 
men  in  procuring,  the  former  have  a  rank  and  influence 
very  rarely  found  among  the  Indians.  The  females  are 
permitted  to  speak  freely  before  the  men,  to  whom,  in- 
deed, they  sometimes  address  themselves  in  a  tone  of  au- 
thority. On  many  subjects  their  judgments  and  opin- 
ions are  respected,  and  in  matters  of  trade  their  adVice 
is  generally  asked  and  pursued.  The  labors  of  the  fam- 
ily, too,  are  shared  almost  equally.  The  men  collect  the 
wood  and  make  fires,  assist  in  cleaning  fish,  make  the 
houses,  canoes,  and  wooden  utensils,  and,  whenever  a 


/" 


THREE  YEARS  AT  SH0AL-T7ATER  BAY. 


161 


stranger  is  entertained  or  a  feast  is  to  be  prepared,  the 
meats  are  cooked  and  served  up  by  the  men." 

The  peculiar  province  of  the  women  is  to  prepare  and 
take  care  of  the  fish  and  berries  for  the  winter's  use ;  to 
collect  roots,  make  the  mats,  which  are  made  from  rush- 
and  to  manufacture  the  various  articles  which  are 


es 


made  of  rushes,  flags,  cedar  bark,  and  bear  grass.  But 
the  management  of  the  canoes,  and  many  of  the  occupa- 
tions which  elsewhere  devolve  on  the  female,  are  here 
common  to  both  sexes. 

The  manufacture  of  mats  is  a  very  important  one,  as 
the  mat  serves  many  useful  purposes.  It  is  used  to  sit 
upon  during  the  day ;  it  forms  the  bed  at  night ;  it  lines 
the  inside  of  the  lodge,  to  keep  out  both  wind  and  rain, 
and  forme  the  tent  when  traveling  about.  Tlie  common 
bulrush,  or  cat-tail  flag,  is  used  for  the  purpose,  and  is 
called  lisquis  tupsoe^  or  mat-grass.  This  is  cut  during 
the  months  of  July  and  August,  and  carefully  dried  in 
the  sun,  and,  when  in  a  proper  state,  is  stowea  away  in 
some  dry  place  till  the  fall  and  winter,  when  the  rains 
keep  them  at  work  within  doors.  When  mats  are  to  be 
made,  the  head  woman  of  the  family  sorts  out  the  rush- 
es or  flags,  and  cuts  them  of  the  desired  length,  which  is 
usually  three  feet.  These  are  then  taken,  two  at  a  time, 
placing  the  top  or  small  end  of  one  with  the  bottom  or 
large  end  of  the  other.  These  are  fastened  by  a  cord 
twisted  round  the  ends,  and  the  process  continued  till 
enough  are  secui'cd  to  make  a  mat  of  the  length  required. 
Those  for  sleeping  on  are  six  or  seven  feet  long.  The 
lining  mats  may  vary  with  the  size  of  the  lodge,  and  are 
from  ten  to  twenty,  and  sometimes  thirty  feet  in  length. 
After  each  length  has  been  determined  on,  it  is  rolled  up 
till  wanted  for  manufacturing.  Each  female,  whether 
slave  or  free,  then  has  her  mat  assigned  her  to  make. 
The  rushes  are  laid  down  on  the  lodge  floor,  or,  if  the 


mm^    ' 


^ti 


162 


THE  NORTHWEST  COAST;   OR, 


i 

1 

1 

! 
1 

i 

weather  is  pleasant,  are  carried  out  of  doors.  Two  pegs 
or  stakes  driven  into  the  ground,  one  at  each  end  of  the 
mat,  and  to  which  the  string  which  binds  the  ends  is 
made  fast,  secure  the  whole.  The  operator  then  takes  a 
needle,  made  from  the  small  bone  in  the  second  joint  of 
the  wing  of  the  common  blue  crane,  which  is  straight, 
long,  and  slender,  and  which  has  a  hole  drilled  in  one 
end  for  an  eye,  and  the  other  sharpened  similar  to  cut- 
ting off  a  quill  when  about  making  a  pen.  Into  this 
needle  is  fastened  a  piece  of  twine,  made  of  the  rushes 
twisted  by  hand,  and  of  a  length  in  accordance  with  the 
size  of  the  mat.  The  needle  is  then  passed  through  ev- 
ery one  of  the  rushes,  and  the  string  drawn  firm  and 
smooth.  A  creased  bone  is  then  rubbed  over  the  whole 
length  of  the  twine,  which  serves  to  set  the  work  and 
mark  the  thread  distinctly.  The  operation  is  then  re- 
peated, the  threads  being  inserted  parallel  to  each  other, 
about  four  inches  apart.  When  the  stitching  is  done, 
the  whole  is  bound  around  with  a  flat,  three-ply  braid  of 
rushes,  and  the  mat  is  finished. 

Some  are  very  prettily  ornamented  round  the  edges 
with  colored  grasses,  neatly  worked  and  woven  in.  These 
mats  are  so  well  made  that  they  shed  water  like  a  duck's 
back,  and,  when  set  on  their  edge,  as  effectually  exclude 
rain  as  the  best  shingle  roof.  They  aie  very  light,  and 
are  excellent,  while  traveling,  to  wrap  around  blankets 
or  clothes.  The  newly-made  ones  have  a  very  fragrant 
smell,  which  makes  them  pleasant  and  healthy  to  sleep 
upon.  When  the  mats  are  all  made,  the  next  work  is  bas- 
ket-making. These  are  woven  from  spruce  roots,  bear- 
grass,  and  willow  bark.  They  are  exceedingly  strong, 
and  so  compact  and  tight  as  to  hold  water.  These  are 
woven  with  figures  of  horses,  dogs,  and  birds  depicted 
on  them  by  means  of  different  colored  grasses.  Black, 
red,  and  yellow  are  the  extent  of  their  dyes.    The  black 


THREE  YEARS  AT  SHOAL-WATER  BAY. 


163 


is  produced  by  burying  the  willow  bark  or  grass  in  the 
black  mud  of  the  Bay  for  a  few  weeks ;  the  red,  by  the 
bark  of  the  black  alder ;  and  the  yellow,  by  a  mixture 
of  nettle  roots  with  some  shrub  they  procure  from  the 
Northern  Indians.  Occasionally  t\uy  make  baskets  and 
hats  of  the  pure  white  grass,  and  they  are  very  hand- 
some. The  hats  of  the  Queniult  and  other  Northern  In- 
dians are  made  of  precisely  the  same  conical  form  as  the 
Chinese  hats,  and  are  only  worn  in  wet  weather  to  shed 
rain.  This  ^leculiar  form  has  either  been  handed  down 
to  them  by  tradition,  or  was  introduced  among  them  by 
the  Chinese  who  were  carried  to  Nootka  by  Meares  from 
Canton  in  1788,  to  assist  in  building  the  schooner  North- 
west America,  and  who,  he  writes,  remained  with  the  In- 
dians, and  took  wives  among  them. 

The  usual  articles  in  a  lodge  for  domestic  use  are  their 
iron  pots  or  kettles,  or  brass  kettles,  tin  pots,  cups,  and 
pans,  an  axe  or  two,  three  or  four  knives  and  a  few 
spoons,  all  of  which  are  procured  from  the  Hudson  Bay 
Company.  They  manufacture  for  themselves  bowls, 
platters,  and  spoons  of  wood,  usually  of  maple  or  black 
alder,  which  grows  here  very  large,  some  that  I  have 
seen  being  sixty  or  seventy  feet  high,  and  from  two  to 
four  feet  in  diameter.  They  also  make  spoons  of  the 
horn  of  the  musk-ox,  which  they  procure  in  trade  of  the 
Indians  from  the  North.  These  spoons,  which  are  cu- 
riously shaped,  and  are  often  elaborately  carved,  are 
formed  by  first  boiling  or  steaming  the  honi,  and  then, 
while  it  is  soft,  moulding  it  in  the  desired  shape. 

The  women  confine  their  operations  to  cooking,  mak- 
ing mats  and  baskets,  and  their  own  dresses,  and  also 
spin  the  thread  and  twine  for  making  nets.  This  oper- 
ation is  performed  in  a  very  simple  and  primitive  man- 
ner by  twisting  the  strands  between  the  palm  of  the  hand 
and  the  bare  leg,  similar  to  the  method  a  shoemaker 


:■■.-*  ^ 


>*^lm 


164 


THE  NORTHWEST  COAST;   OR, 


i 
I    1 


ill 


Bl    1 


uses  to  make  his  "waxod  ends"  for  sewing  leather. 
These  cords,  when  spun,  are  tied  up  in  hanks  of  thirty 
or  forty  fathoms  each,  and  carefully  stowed  away  for  fu- 
ture use.  The  men  make  the  nets,  spears,  lish-hooks, 
daggers,  and  carve  out  the  spoons,  howls,  and  dishes. 

These  are  the  usual  occupations  of  the  winter  during 
rainy  Vi^eather,  when  they  prefer  being  in  the  house ;  and 
although  they  -v  'ill  generally  stop  work  when  a  stranger 
enters  their  lodge,  and  by  many  such  are  deemed  per- 
fectly idle  and  worthless,  yet  they  manage,  during  the 
course  of  the  winter,  to  make  a  great  many  articles  which 
are  disposed  of  to  the  whites. 

Their  method  of  cooking  is  by  simply  roasting  or 
boiling.  This  latter  process  was  formerly  done  in  bas- 
kets by  meuns  of  hot  stones.  The  article,  whether  fish 
or  flesh,  was  put  in  the  basket,  then  covered  with  water, 
and  a  supply  of  hot  stones  kept  up  till  the  whole  was 
cooked.  I  have  seen  them  perform  this  process,  as  they 
fancy  their  salmon  tastes  better  when  cooked  this  way. 
The  stones,  when  taken  from  the  fire  red  hot,  were  first 
dipped  in  water  to  remove  any  dirt  or  ashes,  then  thrown 
into  the  basket,  and  soon  the  water  would  boil  violently. 
I  never  perceived  that  any  improvement  to  the  flavor  of 
either  fish  or  meat  was  gained  by  this  style,  and  much 
prefer  our  own  custom  of  boiling  victuals  in  an  iron  ves- 
sel over  the  fire.  The  roasting  process  is  the  same  as 
that  described  at  Chenook.  Bread  is  made  of  flour  and 
water  without  salt,  baked  in  thin  cakes  in  the  ashes. 
When  hot  it  is  very  good,  but  rather  tough  when  cold. 
Most  of  them  can  make  good  bread  when  they  feel  like 
it,  and  some  are  able  to  make  good  cake  and  pies.  These 
accomplishments  have  been  learned  from  the  white  wom- 
en they  have  occasionally  met  with. 

Peter,  the  young  Indian  in  Tok  's  lodge,  had  a  meth- 
od of  making  most  excellent  bread,  which  I  will  describe 


THREE  YEARS  AT  SliuAL-WATER  BAY. 


165 


for  the  benefit  of  persons  going  to  the  frontiers,  and  who 
think  that  without  brewer's  yeast,  or  soda,  or  saleratus, 
no  bread  can  be  made  tit  to  eat.  Peter  had  lived  some 
time  with  Cale  Weeks,  of  Astoria,  who  had  imparted  to 
him  this  chemical  secret.  The  process  was  simply  this : 
Half  a  tcaspoonful  of  tine  salt  is  added  to  a  teacupful 
of  flour,  and  water  enough  added  to  mako  a  stiff  batter ; 
this  is  usually  mixed  in  a  tin  pint  pot,  which  is  then  set 
into  a  pan  of  blood- warm  water,  and  placed  near  enough 
to  the  tiro  to  keep  up  about  the  same  temperature.  In 
ten  or  fifteen  minutes  it  begins  to  ferment,  and  when  the 
mass  has  swelled  so  as  nearly  to  fill  the  pot,  it  is  mixed 
up  with  flour  and  warm  water  into  dough,  which  must  be 
well  kneaded.  The  Dutch  oven  or  tin  baker  is  being 
warmed  during  this  process,  and  the  dough  is  immediate- 
ly put  into  it  and  set  by  the  fire,  but  not  too  near,  and 
shortly  it  will  begin  to  rise.  When  the  bake-kettle  is 
nearly  full,  bake  the  whole  over  a  bed  of  hot  coals,  and 
the  bread,  when  done,  is  most  excellent.  The  only 
trouble  with  this  method  is  that  it  wants  more  watching 
than  the  ordinary  way  of  bread-making.  However,  the 
method  is  one  that  is  useful  to  miners,  and  should  be 
known.  There  is  many  a  poor  fellow  who  has  lost  his 
health  by  living  on  *'  flippers"  fried  in  pork  fat  because 
he  could  not  get  any  saleratus,  that  might  have  saved 
the  troubles  consequent  upon  sickness  in  the  mines,  had 
he  but  known  this  simple  recipe. 

When  meat  or  fish  is  boiled,  it  is  taken  on  to  a  Imsm 
wooden  platter  or  tin  pan,  and,  after  being  cut  up,  13  di- 
vided round  by  the  matron  of  the  establishment,  each 
one  receiving  an  equal  share.  The  water  which  the  food 
has  been  boiled  in  is  considered  a  luxury,  and  each  one 
has  a  clam  shell,  which  is  dipped  into  the  kettle  as  often 
as  they  desire  to  drink  of  the  broth,  i 

They  usually  have  three  regular  meals  a  day :  early 


>, 


»*f  ! 


•k 


r.' 


'M 


|>  *> 


166 


THE  NORTHWEST  COAST;    OR, 


li\ 


i 
■J 


in  the  morning,  at  noon,  and  at  sundown.  They,  how- 
ever, do  not  confine  their  appetites  to  these  sot  times, 
but  eat  whenever  and  as  often  as  tliey  take  a  fancy,  even 
getting  up  during  the  night  to  cook.  But  these  outside 
meals  are  not  from  the  family  supply  of  provisions: 
that,  the  matron  looks  after  with  a  jealous  eye;  but  any 
one  who  may  bring  in  game,  fish,  or  oysters  usually  dis- 
tributes them  to  those  who  wish. 

Their  property  consists  in  movable  or  personal  prop- 
erty. They  never  considered  land  of  any  value  till  they 
were  taught  so  by  the  whites.  If  I  or  any  of  the  set- 
tlers had  been  allowed  to  have  purchased  the  Indian  ti- 
tles to  the  land  when  we  first  went  there,  the  whole  tract 
from  the  Columbia  to  Fuca  Straits  could  have  been 
bought  for  a  few  trifling  presents.  All  the  value  they 
set  upon  their  grounds  is  for  hunting  and  fishing,  and 
the  only  bounds  are  such  as  they  set  between  themselves 
and  neighboring  tribes.  All  such  property  is  common 
stock,  each  member  of  the  tribe  owning  as  much  interest 
in  it  as  the  chiefs,  although,  when  dealing  with  the  whites, 
the  chiefs  assume  to  own  the  whole. 

They  were  glad  to  have  us  settle  on  and  improve  their 
lands.  They  knew  they  could  not  do  so  themselves, 
and  they  were  content  to  be  paid  for  the  land  so  used 
by  what  the  settlers  saw  fit  to  give  them  of  the  potatoes 
or  wheat  raised. 

What  they  consider  as  property  is  any  thing  they  can 
exchange  or  barter  away  for  articles  they  desire  to  pos- 
sess. This  consists  of  Chinese  chests,  blue  beads,  blank- 
ets, calico,  brass  kettles,  and  other  culinary  articles, 
guns,  fishing  apparatus,  canons,  and  slaves  or  horses. 

Their  slaves  are  purchased  from  the  Northern  Indians, 
and  are  either  stolen  or  captives  of  war,  and  were  regu- 
larly brought  down  and  sold  to  the  southern  tribes. 
The  price  is  from  one  to  five  hundred  dollars,  or  from 


* 


|t>ij: 


r>J 


THREE  YEARS  AT  SHOAL-WATER  BAY. 


167 


f;  m 


twenty  to  one  hundred  blankets,  valued  at  five  dollars 
each.  Some  are  even  higher  than  that,  and  not  unfre- 
quently  a  valuable  canoe  is  added  to  the  bargain. 

In  their  domestic  relations  they  seem  very  fond  of 
each  other,  and  the  parents  seem  devotedly  affectionate 
to  their  children.  I  have  never  known  of  an  instance, 
during  their  wildest  drunken  freaks  of  fury  or  rage,  where 
one  of  their  own  children  was  hurt  or  badly  treated,  al- 
though at  such  times  they  are  very  apt  to  treat  their 
slaves  with  barbarity. 

The  most  singular  custom  among  these  people  is  that 
of  flattening  or  compressing  the  head  of  the  infant. 
Where  this  custom  originated  is  hard  to  tell.  Lewis 
and  Clarke  state  that  it  is  not  peculiar  to  that  part  of 
the  continent,  since  it  was  among  the  first  objects  that 
struck  the  attention  of  Columbus.  *'  But,"  they  add, 
"  wherever  it  began,  or  what  was  its  origin,  the  practice 
is  now  universal  among  the  tribes  west  of  the  Rocky 
Mountains,  in  the  region  of  the  Columbia,  and  it  is  con- 
fined to  them,  for,  with  the  exception  of  the  Snake  In- 
dians, who  are  called  Flat-heads,  the  fashion  is  not  known 
to  the  east  of  that  barrier." 

The  metliod  adopted  to  produce  this  deformity  is  as 
follows :  A  cradle,  like  a  bread  trough,  is  hollowed  out 
from  a  piece  of  cedar,  and,  according  to  the  taste  of  the 
parent,  is  either  fancifully  carved,  or  is  as  simple  in  its 
artistic  appearance  as  a  pig^s  trough.  This  cradle,  or 
canhriy  or  canoe,  as  they  term  it,  is  lined  inside  with  the 
softest  of  cedar  bark,  well  pounded  and  cleaned  so  as  to 
be  as  soft  as  wool.  On  this  the  infant  is  placed  as  soon 
as  it  is  bom,  and  covered  with  the  softest  cloth  or  skins 
they  can  find.  A  little  pillow  at  one  end  slightly  ele- 
vates tlie  head.  The  child  is  placed  flat  on  its  back, 
and  a  cushion  of  wool  or  feathers  laid  on  its  forehead. 
An  oblong  square  piece  of  wood  or  bark,  having  one  end 


«i»it 


ri'  k 


m 


■'^\^ 


168 


THE  NORTHWEST  COAST;   OR, 


INDIAN  OKADLB. 


fastened  by  strings  to  the  head  of  the  canoe,  is  now 
brought  down  on  the  cushion,  and  firmly  secured  by 
strings  tied  to  the  sides  of  the  cradle,  and  causing  the 
cushion  to  press  upon  the  child's  forehead.  The  infant 
is  then  so  bound  into  the  cradle  that  it  can  not  stir  hand 
or  foot,  and  in  this  position  it  remains  a  year  or  more, 
only  being  taken  out  to  be  washed  and  for  exercise. 

This  pressure  on  the  forehead  causes  the  head  to  ex- 
pand laterally,  giving  an  expression  of  great  broadness 
to  the  face ;  but  I  never  perceived  that  it  affected  the 
mind  at  all,  although  it  disfigures  them  very  much  in 
appearance.  I  have  seen  several  whose  heads  had  not 
been  thus  pressed,  and  they  were  smart,  intelligent,  and 
quite  good-looking ;  but  they  were  laughed  at  by  the 
others,  who  asserted  that  their  mothers  were  too  lazy  to 
shape  their  heads  properly.  This  flattening  of  the  head 
appears  to  be  a  sort  of  mark  of  royalty  or  badge  of  aris- 
tocracy, for  their  slaves  arc  not  permitted  to  treat  their 
children  thus ;  but,  although  I  have  seen  persons  with 
and  others  without  this  deformity,  I  never  could  dis- 
covei  any  superiority  of  intellect  of  one  over  the  other. 

When  a  stranger,  either  a  white  man  or  an  Indian,  of 


f.tA 


THREE   YEARS  AT   SHOAL-WATER  BAY. 


169 


rank  visits  them,  the  head  of  the  house,  or  tyee,  always 
cooks  the  moal  which  he  serves  up.  This  mark  of  at- 
tention is  always  given  to  those  they  respect ;  and  any 
person  who  has  had  his  food  prepared  by  the  women  in 
a  chief's  lodge  on  his  first  arrival,  may  rest  assured  that 
he  was  considered  as  a  kultus  tillicum,  or  common  per- 
son. Their  method  of  reception  and  salutation,  even  of 
their  own  relatives,  is  singular,  and  I  have  often  been 
amused  to  witness  it.  I  have  seen  instances  where  they 
were  expecting  friends  they  had  not  seen  for  a  long  time. 
As  the  time  approached,  they  would  be  careful  to  collect 
as  much  food  as  they  could,  to  give  their  friends  a  kind 
reception,  and  some  one  or  other  was  kept  constantly  on 
the  watch  for  the  expected  canoe.  The  weather,  the 
wind,  the  state  of  the  tide,  all  were  discussed,  as  to  the 
probable  eftcct  each  would  have  to  hasten  or  retard  the 
coming  of  their  friends.  At  length  a  canoe  is  seen  in 
the  distance.  Can  it  be  they?  No,  that  is  not  like 
their  sail ;  but  perhaps  they  iiave  got  another.  Yes,  it 
must  be ;  it  is  they.  All  now  is  glee,  and  the  canoe 
comes  up  the  creek,  and  nears  the  shore.  Instead  of 
rushing  into  each  other's  arms  with  congratulations  and 
embraces,  not  a  soul  advances  to  greet  them.  All  have 
gone  into  the  lodge,  and  each  one,  at  his  accustomed 
place,  appears  as  calm,  and  is  pursuing  his  avocations 
as  if  they  never  dreamed  of  any  one  approaching  them. 
The  party  in  the  canoe  then  come  ashore,  leaving  all 
their  traveling  equipage  in  charge  of  a  slave  or  two,  ap- 
parently for  the  purpose  of  first  ascertaining  if  their  visit 
is  welcome. 

They  all  then  enter  the  lodge,  and  seat  themselves 
around  the  fire  and  near  the  door.  No  one  takes  the 
slightest  notice  of  them,  nor  is  a  word  spoken.  I  have 
thus  seen  them  sit  for  ten  minutes.  At  last  a  few  gut- 
tural words  from  the  visitors  are  answered  by  a  grunt 

H 


w\< 


pf-. 


If.' 


m 


%J 


I  '•=1 


p^ 


170 


THE  NORTHWEST  COAST;   OB, 


4 


i  •! 


% 

I 


\u  , 


from  the  others.  Other  clucking  sounds  are  then  heard, 
and  gradually  they  begin  to  talk,  but  not  much.  Food 
is  now  set  before  them,  and,  while  they  eat,  they  begin 
to  grow  social,  and  at  length  they  tnrow  off  all  restraint, 
and  gabble  like  so  many  geese. 

What  newspapers  are  to  us,  these  traveling  Indians 
are  with  each  other,  and  it  is  astonishing  with  what  dis- 
patch and  correctness  information  is  transmitted  from 
one  part  of  the  country  to  another.  I  have  frequently, 
by  this  means,  obtained  correct  intelligence  of  matters 
transpiring  in  other  portions  of  the  territory  weeks  be- 
fore the  regular  mail  communication.  Old  Suis  was  an 
excellent  person  to  spread  news,  and  no  sooner  did  any 
of  her  people  come  with  any  information,  but,  woman- 
like, she  would  run  over  and  inform  the  captain  and  my- 
self. It  was  not  customary  to  place  much  dependence 
on  information  derived  from  such  sources,  but  I  often 
found  ^  eir  tales  were  entirely  to  be  relied  on. 

The  marriage  ceremony  is  very  simple,  and  consists  in 
merely  paying  the  parent  or  friends  of  the  girl  such  ar- 
ticles as  may  be  agreed  upon,  either  slaves,  canoes, 
guns,  blankets,  or  any  thing  else  they  may  happen  to 
possess.  Polygamy  is  allowed  among  them,  but  is  not 
very  common ;  only  those  who  have  plenty  of  means  to 
buy  wives  care  to  trouble  themselves  with  more  than 
one.  I  have  noticed,  as  a  general  thing,  that  the  young 
men  marry  women  much  older  than  themselves,  while 
the  young  girls  are  married  to  men  much  their  seniors. 
The  reason  for  this  is,  as  I  was  told  by  them,  that  if  the 
young  men  marry  young  girls,  both  are  so  foolish  they 
do  not  know  how  to  take  care  of  each  other;  so  the 
young  man  takes  a  wife  who  has  the  experience  requisite 
to  take  her  proper  place  in  the  lodge,  and  the  young  girl 
is  assisted  and  taught  her  duties  by  her  more  mature 
husband. 


THREE  YEARS  AT  SH  JAL-WATER  BAY. 


171 


^::■■ 


When  a  young  girl  reacneo  womnnhood,  she  has  to  go 
through  a  process  of  purification,  which  lasts  a  moon,  or 
month.     This  is  simply  by  bathing  several  times  a  day, 
and  rubbing  the  body  with  rotten  wood  procured  from 
the  hemlock-tree.     They  are  not  allowed,  during  this 
period,  to  eat  of  any  thing  that  is  in  season,  either  sal- 
mon, sturgeon,  shell-fish,  or  berries,  as   it  is  believed 
that,  in  such  cases,  the  fish  would  disappear,  the  shell-fish 
would  make  them  sick,  and  the  berries  would  fall  off  the 
bushes  without  ripening.     And  should  there  be  a  south- 
east wind,  with  signs  of  rain,  they  must,  on  no  pretense, 
go  out  of  the  house,  for  Tod-lux,  the  south  wind,  is  so  of- 
fended if  one  of  these  young  girls  go  out  of  doors,  that 
he  sends  Hah-nes^,  the  thunder-bird,  who  shakes  his 
wings,  and  causes  the  roaring  thunder,  his  eyes,  thft 
mean  while,  sending  forth  sharp  flashes  of  lightning.     I 
never  knew  a  thunder-storm  occur  while  I  resided  in 
the  Territory  but  what  was  attributed  to  some  girl  going 
out  during  her  season  of  purification.     It  is  at  this  peri- 
od of  life  that  both  young  men  and  women  go  through  a 
ceremony  which  is  to  determine  their  fui;  ->  course  in 
life,  and  is  termed  by  them  seeing  their  Tomahnawos 
or  Tomanawos.     Those  who  pass  through  this  ordeal 
safely  are  generally  the  doctors,  strong  men,  or  skilled  in 
all  the  Indian  ways.     Schoolcraft's  reiiiarks  on  the  fasts 
of  the  Algonquins,  though  not  precisely  adopted  tc  the 
Coast  Indians,  are  so  near  to  my  own  views  that  I  quote 
the  article  entire : 

"  The  rite  of  fasting  is  one  of  the  most  deep-seated 
and  universal  in  the  Indian  ritual.  It  is  practiced  among 
all  the  American  tribes,  and  is  deemed  by  them  essential 
to  their  success  in  life  in  every  situation.  No  young 
man  is  fitted  and  prepared  to  begin  the  career  of  life  un- 
til he  has  accomplished  his  great  fast.  Seven  days  ap- 
pear to  have  been  the  ancient  maximum  limit  of  endur- 


i.  '1 


i>.'' 


*.  .;f 


itvvi 


172 


THE  NORTHWEST  COAST;    OR, 


■if-'t 


I    1 


t'l 


.1 

?! 


'S 


ance,  and  the  success  of  the  devotee  is  inferred  from  the 
length  of  continued  abstinence  to  which  he  is  known  to 
have  attained.  These  fasts  are  anticipated  by  youth  as 
one  of  the  most  important  events  of  life.  They  are 
awaited  with  interest,  prepared  for  with  solemnity,  and 
endured  with  a  self-devotion  bordering  upon  the  heroic. 
Character  is  thought  to  be  fixed  from  this  period,  and 
the  primary  fast  thus  prepared  for  and  successfully  es- 
tablished seems  to  hold  that  relative  importance  to  sub- 
sequent years  that  is  attached  to  a  public  profession  of 
religious  faith  in  civilized  communities.  It  is  at  this  pe- 
riod that  the  young  men  and  young  women  '  see  visions 
and  dream  dreams,'  and  fortune  or  misfortune  is  predict- 
ed from,  the  guardian  spirit  chosen  during  this,  to  them, 
religious  ordeal.  The  hallucinntions  of  the  mind  are 
taken  for  divine  inspiration.  The  effect  is  deeply  felt 
and  strongly  impressed  on  the  mind ;  too  deeply,  indeed, 
to  be  ever  obliterated  in  after  life.  The  father  in  the 
circle  of  his  lodge,  the  hunter  in  the  pursuit  of  the  chase, 
and  the  warrior  in  the  field  of  battle,  think  of  the  guard- 
ian genius  which  they  fancy  to  accompany  them,  and 
trust  to  his  power  and  benign  influence  under  every  cir- 
cumstance. This  genius  is  the  absorbing  theme  of  their 
silent  meditations,  and  stands  to  them  in  all  respects  in 
place  of  the  Christian's  hope,  with  the  single  difference 
that,  however  deeply  mused  upon,  the  name  is  never  ut- 
tered, and  every  circumstance  connected  with  its  selec- 
tion, and  the  devotion  paid  to  it,  is  most  studiously  and 
professedly  concealed  even  from  their  nearest  friends. 
Fasts  in  subsequent  life  appear  to  have  f-^r  their  object 
a  renewal  of  the  powers  and  virtues  which  they  attribute 
to  the  rite ;  and  they  are  observed  more  frequently  by 
those  who  strive  to  preserve  unaltered  the  ancient  state 
of  society  among  them,'  or  by  men  who  assume  austere 
habits  for  the  purpose  of  acquiring  influence  in  the  tribe, 


or  af 

It  is 

jerve 

a  gen 

and  t 

at  tin 

"I 

believ 

most 


are  the 
manaw 
be,  Jie 
dearest 
to  worl 
mamok 
doctor 
mdnaw 
or  yakc 
their  gi 
not  pas, 
attemp 
as  havi: 
natural 
and  dri 
But  all 
they  ma 
for  help 
They  d( 
Spirit,  n 


THREE  YEARS  AT  SHOAL-WATER  BAY. 


173 


or  as  pveparatives  for  war  or  some  extraordinary  feat. 
It  is  not  known  that  there  is  any  fixed  day  to  he  ob- 
served as  a  general  fast  So  far  as  the  rule  ip  followed, 
a  genera]  fast  seems  to  have  been  observed  in  the  spring, 
and  to  nave  preceded  the  general  and  customary  feasts 
at  that  season. 

"  It  will  be  inferred  from  these  facts  that  the  Indians 
believe  fasts  to  be  very  meritorious.  They  are  deemed 
most  acceptable  to  the  manitoes,  or  spirits,  whose  influ- 
ence and  protection  they  wish  to  engage  or  preserve. 
And  it  is  thus  clearly  deducible  that  a  very  large  portion 
of  the  time  devoted  by  the  Indians  to  secret  worship,  so 
to  say,  is  devoted  to  these  guardians  or  intermediate 
spirits,  and  not  to  the  Great  Spirit,  or  Creator." 

These  guardian  spirits,  or  manitoes,  of  the  Algonquin, 
are  the  Tomanawos  of  the  Coast  Indian.  It  is  his  To- 
manawos  that  he  seeks  in  early  life,  and,  whatever  it  may 
be,  he  never  will  utter  its  name  even  to  his  nearest  or 
dearest  friend.  This  name,  Tomanawos^  is  also  applied 
to  works  of  magic  performed  by  doctors,  as,  for  instance, 
mamoke  Tomanawos,  working  medicine  or  spells  ;  and  a 
doctor  or  doctress  is  termed  Tomanawos  man  or  To- 
manawos woman ,'  but  when  spoken  of  as  nika,  mika, 
or  yaka  Tomdnaioos,  it  refers  to  and  means  my,  your,  or 
their  guardian  spirit.,  The  common  people  either  have 
not  passed  through  the  ordeal  of  the  long  fast,  or,  having 
attempted,  have  failed.  Those  that  have  are  considered 
as  having  seen  their  Tomanawos,  or  having  had  super- 
natural revelations,  which  enable  them  to  perform  cures, 
and  dri/e  away  the  evil  spirits  who  molest  the  sicK. 
But  all  have  their  own  private  guardian  spirit,  to  whom 
they  make  known  their  wants  and  troubles,  either  to  ask 
for  help,  or  to  bewail  and  lament  the  loss  of  a  friend. 
They  do  not,  as  is  generally  supposed,  address  a  Great 
Spirit,  neither  do  they  believe  in  one  overruling  almighty 


*'-t 


fmi' 


1. 


f  pi 


f: 


I 


} 


174 


THE  NORTHWEST  COAST;    OB, 


maker  of  the  world  and  all  things  contained  therein; 
consequently,  they  do  not  address  themselves  except  to 
their  own  private  Tomanawos,  or  Fetish,  or  Joss ;  and, 
as  this  worship  or  petition  is  always  done  in  private,  it 
is  the  reason  why  persons,  not  seeing  any  outward  cere- 
monies among  them,  assert  that  they  have  no  belief  ei- 
ther in  God  or  a  future  state. 

They  do  not  believe  in  the  Christian  revelation  of  a 
divine  Creator,  although  many  of  them  have  been  taught 
the  precepts  of  Christianity  by  the  Catholic  priest  who 
formerly  resided  at  Chenook,  and  can  give  a  very  general 
account  of  all  the  prominent  historical  parts  of  the  Bible 
from  Genesis  to  our  Savior's  time ;  but  that,  they  say, 
is  about  the  white  man's  God,  and  has  nothing  to  do 
with  them.  Their  heaven  is  in  the  centre  of  the  earth, 
which  they  believe  to  be  hollow,  and  there  all  is  happi- 
ness. No  one  reigns  supreme  there,  but  those  who  were 
chiefs  on  the  earth  retain  their  rank  in  a  future  state. 
They  do  not  fight,  but  have  a  very  pleasant  time ;  and 
every  night,  if  they  feel  disposed,  they  can  go  about  re- 
visiting the  places  they  lived  at  while  on  earth. 

The  only  evidence  I  have  met  with  among  them  re- 
specting a  belief  in  future  punishments  appears  to  be  in 
a  species  of  transmigration  of  souls,  which  are  supposed 
to  be  turned  into  birds,  beasts,  fishes,  or  even  into  inan- 
imate subjects. 

The  creaking  of  trees  in  the  forest  is  to  them  the  wail- 
ing of  some  7nemelo8e  or  dea  ]  person,  who  has  IxHjn  trans- 
formed into  the  tree  as  a  punishment  for  soiae  offense 
committed  during  life. 

Crows,  eagles,  owls,  blue  jays,  and  various  beasts  and 
reptiles,  are  the  representations  of  bad  spirits  or  devils, 
and  are  called  skookums.  Even  the  stones  around  the 
Bay  have  their  peculiar  legend.  There  are  tivo  large 
rocks  near  the  south  head  of  Lon^  Island,  iu  the  B«y, 


THREE  YEAES  AT  SHOAL-WATER  BAY. 


175 


called  Misfchin,  or  Louse  Eocks,  and  the  legend  is  that 
they  were  formerly  a  chief  and  his  wife,  who  were  very 
bad  people,  and  by  their  magic  first  introduced  lice 
among  Indians ;  and  one  day,  while  bathing,  they  were, 
by  a  superior  medicine-man,  tuined  into  stones  as  a  pun- 
ishment. 

Their  ideas  of  sins  which  are  to  be  punished  are,  how- 
ever, very  limited,  and  apply  only  to  those  who  commit 
some  great  crime,  as  the  introduction  of  disease,  or  the 
mischin,  or  otlier  calamities  among  the  tribe. 

When  a  young  person  wishes  to  go  through  the  or- 
deal of  the  fast,  he  is  usually  some  time  preparing  his 
mind  for  the  event,  and  gradually  accustoms  himself  to 
a  reduction  of  diet  preparatory  to  fasting.  When  he  is 
fully  ready,  he  goes  alone  in  his  canoe  to  the  nearest 
landing-place,  at  the  foot  of  some  high  mountain,  taking 
nothing  with  him  but  his  axe  and  a  bowl  for  water. 
After  hauling  up  the  canoe  and  securing  it,  he  fills  his 
bowl  with  water,  first  having  washed  himself  in  the  riv- 
er. Then  he  proceeds  to  the  top  of  the  hill  or  mount- 
ain, nnd,  having  selected  a  suitable  spot,  builds  a  fiire. 
His  duty  now  is  to  keep  that  fire  burning  constantly 
during  the  period  of  his  fast,  which  lasts  from  three  to 
seven  clays.  During  this  time  he  neither  sleeps  nor 
eats.  He  may  drink  a  little  water,  but  he  must  frequent- 
ly wash  himself,  and  on  no  account  let  the  fire  go  out. 
This  continaed  fast,  together  with  keeping  awake,  and 
jumping  about  over  and  through  the  fire  and  smoke, 
singing,  fnd  calling  on  his  Tomanawos  to  appear,  grad- 
ually weakens  his  nerves  so  that  he  sees  strange  visions. 

A  young  Indian  who  had  been  out  for  three  days,  and 
then  went  to  sleep,  and  did  not  succeed  in  his  attempt  to 
become  a  doctor,  told  me  that  he  saw  what  appeared  to 
be  the  ocean,  and  out  of  it  all  sorts  of  animals  and  fish 
were  projecting  their  heads — whales,  salmon,  bears,  seals, 


m 


m' 


^1^^ 


Hri 


'.M 


176 


THE  NORTHWEST  COAST;   OR, 


lizards,  and  skookums,  or  devils.  But  he  had  not 
strength  to  continue  his  fast  any  longer,  which  he  should 
have  done  so  that  the  medicine  Tonianawos  would  have 
appeared  to  him.  It  is  only  the  strong  men  or  women 
who  see  the  medicine  Tomanawos ;  all  others  see  Tonian- 
awos of  inferior  grade.  His,  instead  of  being  a  medi- 
cine, taught  him  to  make  canoes  and  catch  salmon  and 
sturgeon. 

What  he  had  seen  was  the  fog  rising  from  the  river, 
and  the  tops  of  the  spruce  and  fir  trees  reaching  above 
it  had  appeared  to  his  disordered  fancy  to  be  the  beasts, 
fishes,  and  devils  he  had  supposed  them. 


CHAPTER  XL 

Doctors,  or  Medicine-men. — Simples  used  as  Medicine. — Polypodium. 
— Wild-cat  Hair. — An  excellent  Salve. — Disinclination  of  Indians  to 
impart  Information  in  rejjard  to  their  Medicines. — Necromancy  of 
the  Doctors. — Sickness  of  Suis. — Sacodlye,  the  Doctor,  and  his  Mag- 
ic.—  Old  John,  the  Doctor,  and  his  Method. — John  removes  the 
Devil  and  Suis  recovers. — Old  Sal-tsi-mar's  Sickness  and  Death.— 
Description  of  the  Burial. — Funeral  Ceremonies. — Death  Songs. — 
Change  of  Names  on  the  Death  of  a  Friend. — Meaning  of  Indian 
Names. — Superstitions  and  Ceremonies. — Eilects  cf  Christianity. — 
Missionaries. — The  Indian  Idea  of  the  Christian  Religion. 

The  doctors,  or  medicine-men,  are  supposed  to  pos- 
sess the  power  of  exorcising  or  driving  away  the  meme- 
lose,  or  spirits  of  the  dead,  and  the  skookums,  or  evil 
spirits,  that  are  supposed  to  prey  on  the  vitals  of  a  sick 
person,  causing  death. 

In  all  instances  where  I  have  seen  the  doctors  per- 
forming cures,  it  has  been  by  the  agency  of  mesmeric 
influence ;  and  the  stronger  that  power  is  possessed  by 
the  doctor,  the  more  famous  does  he  become  as  a  prac- 
titioner. 

The  young  men,  after  passing  through  the  fast,  and  be- 


THREE  YEARS  AT  SHOAL-WATER  BAT. 


177 


ing  found  qualified,  are  farther  instructed  by  some  of  the 
old  doctors,  but  particularly  as  to  the  nature  of  the  skoo- 
kums,  and  whether  cures  can  not  be  effected  by  simples, 
without  resort  to  mesmerism.  As  the  doctors  always 
require  high  pay  for  their  services,  they  are  not  called 
except  in  extreme  cases,  that  will  not  yield  to  common 
treatment. 

The  doctors  are  sometimes  subjected  to  pretty  rough 
treatment,  and  occasionally  lose  their  lives  from  the  as- 
saults of  relatives  of  persons  of  consequence  who  may 
have  died  under  their  operations. 

Sometimes  these  doctors  make  threats  against  the  life 
of  persons,  and,  whenever  such  a  person  may  subse- 
quently die,  the  doctor  is  considered  as  being  the  means 
of  causing  the  death,  and  he  is  then  in  danger  of  his 
own  life. 

It  has  been  asserted  that  it  is  a  universal  custom  among 
the  Indians  of  Oregon  to  kill  the  doctors  whenever  they 
happen  to  lose  a  patient ;  but  this  is  not  the  fact,  as  the 
numerous  old  doctors  to  be  found  all  over  the  Territories 
will  testify.  It  is  only  in  isolated  cases  ;  and  although 
I  have  heard  of  several  instances  from  persons  of  un- 
doubted veracity,  I  never  had  one  come  under  my  own 
observation,  but,  on  the  contrary,  have  known  many  doc- 
tors who  have  lost  patients  of  high  rank  among  the 
tribes,  and  who  are  still  living,  and  considered  as  per- 
sons of  great  importance. 

Among  the  medicines  I  have  seen  used  by  the  In- 
dians is  a  species  of  diminutive  cress,  found  in  the  dark 
ravines  of  the  forest,  which,  when  pounded  up  and  ap- 
plied to  the  skin,  will  produce  a  blister  as  quick  as  Span- 
ish flies.  Another  method  I  have  seen  adopted  for  the 
cure  of  the  headache,  or  inflamed  eyes,  is  to  apply  a  coal 
of  fire  to  the  back  of  the  neck,  shoulders,  or  temples. 
This  is  pretty  certain  to  raise  a  blister,  and  is  a  species 

H2 


^  (■ 


■M 


%.><^ 


-4.. 


178 


THE   NORTHWEBT  COAST;   OR, 


i! 


Xi,^ 


I 


.■Si 


of  pharmacy  that  is  usually  on  hand,  with'^nt  having  to 
resort  cither  to  the  forest  or  the  apothecu  y',j  shop, 

A  simple  diarrhoea  i.s  cured  by  a  tea  made  from  the  bark 
of  the  young  hemlock.  This  is  drunk  during  the  win- 
ter season.  In  the  spring,  the  sprouts  of  the  raspberry, 
eaten,  or  a  tea  made  of  the  leaves,  is  excellent.  Sore- 
ness of  the  joints  or  ankles  from  cold  is  alleviated  by 
nettles  pounded  up  with  grease,  or  nettle-roots  boiled, 
and  tied  on  the  afflicted  part.  The  Polypodium  Falca- 
tuiQ,  or  sickle-leaf  polypod,  or  sweet  licorice  fern,  a  para- 
site found  on  old  logs  and  trees,  is  a  most  excellent  al- 
terative. This  plant,  which  was  sent  by  me  to  San 
Francisco  to  be  classified  by  the  Academy  of  Natural 
Sciences,  received  its  name  from  Doctor  Kellogg,  the 
botanist  of  ihe  society.  Thi»  plant  is  found  in  almost 
all  the  Western  States,  where  it  is  called  wild  licorice, 
and  is  used  by  some  persons  to  flavor  tobacco.  It  has 
a  swsv'.tl.^i)  bitter  taste,  and  a  decoction  is  not  unpleas- 
ant i.  think  its  properties  are  equal  to  those  of  sarsa- 
parilla.  It  is  also  of  ancient  renown,  the  poly  pods  of  the 
oak  benig  formerly  used  as  a  cure  for  madness.  I  be- 
lieve this  plant  grows  in  many,  if  not  all  the  states  of 
the  Union.  I  have  seen  it  in  Massachusetts,  Alabama, 
and  California,  although  I  never  knew  its  medicinal  vir- 
tues till  I  met  with  it  in  Washington  Territory. 

Ulcers,  or  open  sores,  are  cured  by  a  plaster  or  salve 
made  from  the  ashe^j  of  the  hairs  of  a  wild-cat  mixed 
with  grease.  I  am  not  aware  what  particular  virtue 
there  is  in  wild-cat  hair  over  any  other ;  but  tliey  have 
a  belief  to  that  effect,  and  consider  a  wild-cat  or  a  lynx 
skin  to  possess  remarkable  medicinal  properties. 

The  white  bryony  {Bryonia  alba)  is  found,  and  its  in- 
tensely bitter  root  is  used  by  the  whites  in  cases  of  fever 
and  ague ;  but  I  have  never  seen  the  Indians  use  it. 
The  common  herbs,  like  yarrow,  mint,  marsh  rosemary, 


m^ 


THREE   YEARS   AT   SHOAL-WATER   BAY. 


179 


s  in- 
fever 
Be  it. 
aary, 


and  chamomile,  are  used  for  colds,  and  cases  where  sim- 
ple remedies  only  arc  wanted ;  but  the  Indians  are  not 
nmch  given  to  dosing;  they  usually  try  the  effects  of 
fa.'^ting  before  they  attempt  any  thing  else,  and  that  is, 
in  the  generality  of  cases,  all  that  is  required.  All  these 
simples  are  used  by  the  sick  before  sending  for  a  doctor. 
He  does  not  give  medicine,  bu(         ks  charms  or  mes- 


merisms. 

rv 


There  are,  undoubtedly,  van  is  !  amerous  kinds 
of  plants  and  shmbs  not  enumo  ;  assessing  medic- 

inal virtues,  which  the  Indians  know  of  and  use,  but 
none  others  have  come  under  my  own  observation. 

There  is  a  shrub,  bearing  a  leaf  similar  to  the  low 
whortleberry  in  appearance,  which  makes  a  most  excel- 
lent tea.  Many  white  persons  prefer  it  to  the  teas  that 
are  imported.  The  Indians  collect  these  leaves,  and  sell 
them  occasionally  to  the  whites,  and  often  use  them  them- 
selves, 

I  found  out  some  simple  remedies,  which,  in  a  wild 
country,  are  well  enough  to  know.  Persons  traveling 
for  a  long  time  on  a  sand-beach  or  over  snow,  and  facing 
a  strong  wind,  are  liable  to  inflamed  eyes,  and  these  can 
be  relieved,  and  usually  readily  cured,  by  taking  the  tea- 
leaves,  after  the  tea  has  been  drawn,  and  binding  them 
over  the  eyes  on  going  to  bed  at  night.  A  wash,  made 
by  boiling  the  leaves  of  the  Sallal  in  water,  and  frequently 
bathing  the  eyes,  is  also  excellent. 

Persons  working  in  the  salt  water  in  the  Bay  during 
the  winter  and  spring  were  very  liable  to  get  scratched 
or  cut  with  oyster-shells,  which  frequently  caused  bad 
ulcer  sores.  These  were  cured  by  applying  a  poultice 
of  raw  potato,  grated  or  scraped  fine,  and  renewed  often. 
The  potato  is  a  very  powerful  remedial  agent  in  all  cases 
of  scurvy,  and  is  one  of  those  ready  remedies  that  are 
usually  within  the  reach  of  every  one.     One  of  the  best 


xn 


.1.: 


i» 


IMAGE  EVALUATION 
TEST  TARGET  (MT-3) 


<" 


1.0 


I.I 


Li  12.8 

•^  1^  i: 

140    il2.0 


1^ 
12.2 


IL25  il.4 


1.6 


0% 


^  •> 


7 


Hiotographic 

Sciences 
Corporation 


33  WEST  MAIN  STRfET 

WEBSTiiii.N.Y.  MSBO 

(716)  •7S-4S03 


180 


THE  NORTHWEST  COAtiT ;    OR, 


i   / 


.     ! 


salves  I  ever  met  with  was  made  by  these  Indians  from 
the  pure  white  gum  of  the  spruce,  melted  with  equal 
parts  of  bears'  grease  or  hogs'  lard.  In  the  spring,  when 
the  sap  begins  to  start,  they  cut  a  gash  in  the  side  of 
the  tree,  and  the  gum  runs  out  as  clear  as  water.  In  a 
short  time  it  hardens,  and  then  looks  precisely  like  cam- 
phor. It  is  then  scraped  off,  and  melted  in  large  clam- 
shells set  on  hot  ashes.  It  makes  an  excellent,  clean, 
healthy,  and  healing  salve,  and  is  in  much  repute.  They 
very  seldom  bind  up  any  wound,  but  simply  rub  on  this 
salve,  and  leave  the  rest  to  nature.  ^ '  »     ■ 

I  remarked  a  general  disinclination  to  impart  any  in- 
formation respecting  their  medicines,  and  only  found  out 
by  seeing  them  prepare  the  different  kinds  at  various 
times,  when,  on  my  asking  wliat  the  use  of  them  was, 
they  would  tell  me.  The  reason  of  this  is  that  they  are 
at  all  times  ready  to  beg  of  the  whites  all  the  medicines 
tliey  can ;  and  they  think,  if  the  white  folk^  know  they 
have  remedies  of  their  own,  they  would  be  unwilling  to 
give  away  the  drugs  that  have  cost  money.  Then, 
again,  it  is  some  trouble  for  them  to  hunt  up  medicines 
when  they  are  sick ;  for,  till  they  are  sick,  they  never 
think  of  collecting  a  stock  to  be  kept  on  hand,  and  it  is 
far  easier  to  get  relief  from  the  stock  of  some  white  per- 
son's medicine-chest  than  to  hunt  all  over  the  woods 
and  marshes  for  simples.  Bathing  in  cold  water  is  a 
remedy  they  use  for  rheumatism.  On  the  Columbia  the 
Indians  use  sweat-houses,  but  I  never  have  met  with 
any  on  the  Coast.  They  there  cause  a  perspiration  by 
drinking  hot  herb  tea,  and  rolling  themselves  up  in 
blankets  near  the  fire. 

The  doctors  have  various  kinds  of  necromancy  or  jug- 
glery which  they  perform  for  the  cure  of  their  patients. 
Nor  do  they  all  possess  the  same  gifts.  One  is  cele- 
brated for  his  power  in  driving  away  the  memelose,  or 


THREE  YEAR8  AT  SHOAL-WATER  BAY. 


181 


spirits  of  the  dead,  and  another  for  exorcising  the  skoo- 
kums  or  evil  spirits.  A  description  of  the  method  prac- 
ticed by  two  doctors  to  cure  a  woman  who  recovered  and 
another  who  died,  will  serve  to  show  the  general  method 
adopted  by  all  the  doctors  of  the  Coast  tribes,  it  being 
borne  in  mind  that  each  doctor  has  his  own  peculiar 
songs  and  methods  of  manipulation. 

Old  Suis  had  been  attacked  with  liver  complaint,  and 
was  very  sick.  Both  the  captain  and  myself  were  per- 
fectly aware  of  the  nature  o.  her  sickness,  but  we  had  no 
suitable  medicine  to  give  her.  She  at  last  grew  so  ill 
that  her  death  was  expected  at  any  moment.  She  had 
deferred  sending  for  a  doctor,  as  she  knew  they  would 
expect  her  to  pay  a  round  price,  and  she  did  not  feel  in- 
clined to  part  with  her  property.  However,  at  last  she 
consented,  and  sent  for  a  doctor  named  Sa-co-dlye,  who 
had  married  a  relative  of  hers.  When  he  came  he  brought 
his  family  with  him,  consisting  of  his  wife  and  a  little 
girl.  Sa-co-dlye  was  famous  for  driving  away  the  mem- 
elose.  The  superstition  relative  to  these  departed  spir- 
its is  that  they  enjoy  themselves  so  much  in  their  new 
state  of  existence  that  they  wish  all  their  friends  to  join 
them,  and,  whenever  they  find  any  one  slightly  ill,  they 
try  all  in  their  power  to  induce  the  invalid  to  go  with 
them  to  the  Tnemelose  illihe,  or  the  land  of  the  dead. 
They  even  believe  that  we  think  as  they  do  in  some  re- 
spects. They  have  heard  the  priest  speak  of  angels, 
and,  on  one  occasion,  having  showed  some  of  them  a 
print  whereon  was  depicted  a  sleeping  saint  surrounded 
by  angels  beckoning  her  to  go  to  heaven,  they  exclaim- 
ed, "  There !  that  is  like  our  memelose,  only  ours  have 
not  got  birds'  wings  like  yours."  The  idea  conveyed  to 
us  was  precisely  the  same  as  their  own,  of  spirits  hover- 
ing in  the  air,  but  they  were  puzzled  to  know  where  our 
memelose  got  their  wings  from. 


■■s'.  11'' 

'4f 


kl 


Mi--'  W: 


■''^^-  m 


. ,  v.. 


■    ;    I 


■*}^'' 


^■dy$^' 


182 


THE  NOBTHWEST  COAST;    OB, 


(i     ' 


it  ) 


Ml 

It1:;i 


.:  Now  Sa-co-dlye  was  famous  for  inducing  these  spirits 
to  go  home  to  their  own  quarters,  and  let  his  friends  and 
patients  alone.  Supposuig,  therefore,  the  illness  of  old 
Suis  to  proceed  from  the  visits  of  her  dead  friends — pos- 
sibly some  of  her  departed  husbands ;  for,  like  the  woman 
of  Samaria,  she  had  had  seven — ^he  went  to  work  to  send 
them  away. 

After  he  had  eaten,  and  the  lodge  was  all  cleaned  out 
and  fresh  sand  strewed  over  the  floor,  Suis  was  laid  on 
some  nice  new  mats,  and  covered  with  new  white  blank- 
ets. A  large  fire  was  made  in  the  centre  of  the  lodge, 
and  a  great  blaze  kept  up  by  one  whose  business  it  was 
to  occasionally  pour  oil  into  the  flames.  The  occupants 
of  the  lodge  seated  themselves  around  the  fire,  each  hav- 
ing a  pole  long  enough  to  reach  the  roof  overhead,  which 
they  kept  thumping  all  the  while,  to  keep  time  to  a  plaint- 
ive chant  they  all  sung.  ?  ^ 

Sa-co-dlye  knelt  at  the  feet  of  the  patient,  and  com- 
menced by  singing  a  refrain,  when  the  rest  would  join 
and  sing  in  the  chorus,  the  burden  of  the  song  being  an 
addi'ess  to  the  spirits  of  the  dead,  with  a  request  for  them 
to  leave  their  mother  with  them  a  little  Icnp-er,  closing 
with  a  request  that  the  memelose  would  do  rah  kee- 
quilly,  or  go  down  to  their  abode.  The  sujging  was 
accompanied  with  violent  gestures  by  Sa-co-dlye,  who 
would  roll  up  his  eyes  in  a  feaifrl  manner,  and  then 
pass  his  hands  over  the  face  and  person  of  the  patient, 
precisely  the  same  that  I  have  frequently  seen  performed 
by  professors  of  mesmerism.  The  result  was  that  Suis 
went  to  sleep,  and  when  she  awoke,  some  hours  after, 
she  was  much  refreshed,  not  having  had  any  sleep  before 
for  several  days.  Sa-co-dlye  performed  these  ceremo- 
nies several  times,  both  night  and  day,  and  the  plaintive 
chorus,  in  which  the  men,  women,  and  children  joined, 
sounded  melancholy  and  solemn  as  it  fell  on  the  ear  dur- 
ing the  stillness  of  the  night. 


THBEE  TEAB»^  AT  SHOAL-WATER  BAY. 


183 


However,  Sa-co-dlye  found  that  his  charms  did  not 
produce  the  desired  effect.  Suis  had  a  skookum  or  evil 
spirit  in  her  which  he  could  not  remove,  and  which  was 
devouring  her  vitals.  He  was  certainly  right  in  his 
conjecture,  as  any  one  who  has  ever  had  the  liver  com- 
plaint can  attest.  They,  therefore,  sent  across  the  Bay 
for  another  celebrated  doctor,  who  always  went  by  the 
name  of  Old  John.  He  was  a  powerful  magnetizer  and 
clairvoyant,  and  could  read  the  internal  structure  of  a 
patient  as  easily  as  a  white  man  could  a  newspaper. 
This  fact  they  took  great  pains  to  tell  me  when  I  sug- 
gested that  one  doctor  was  enough.  He,  they  said, 
kumttix  hiyu  ickters,  knows  many  things.  So  Old  John 
came,  bringing  with  him  his  family,  consisting  of  some 
half  a  dozen  persons.  These,  added  to  the  others,  who 
all  remained,  made  a  very  formidable  battery  with  which 
to  attack  the  poor  old  roof  while  the  doctor  should  ma- 
Tnoke  TomdnawoSj  or  work  charms.  The  style  of  opera- 
tions was  now  materially  changed.  Old  John  sat  down 
at  the  patient's  feet,  with  his  head  covered  up  under  his 
blanket,  and  there  he  remained  a  long  time,  nearly  half 
or  three  quarters  of  an  hour.  A  large  fire  which  had  pre- 
viously been  built  was  now  reduced  to  a  bed  of  coals, 
which  were  kept  alive  by  additions  of  rotten  wood,  which 
did  not  blaze,  but  made  a  smoke.  All  at  once  he  threw 
off  his  blanket,  and  commenced  singing  in  a  loud  voice 
a  most  barbarous  song,  and  throwing  himself  about  in  a 
most  excited  manner.  In  his  hands  he  had  large  scal- 
lop-shells, which  he  rattled  like  castanets,  the  chorus  in 
the  mean  time  keeping  up  their  pounding,  with  the  ad- 
dition, over  the  other  performance,  of  a  couple  of  tin 
pans  and  a  brass  kettle,  which  served  very  perceptibly 
to  increase  the  din. 

John  then,  throwing  down  his  castanets,  went  through 
the  mesmeric  passes  tUl  Suis  was  asleep.     Then  he 


Wi 


■^■%T 


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\   .i^: 

if  ' 

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11 

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m\ 

■'     ^'pS 

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v;.,;.,^ 

wKA      ^ 

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W  .;^M 

S|*f'i''. 

J  ■■'■  1*^ 

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Hi    ^' 

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•  J'^^  ■  tBg 

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hy^^fM 

B   i' 

Lit.  -i  i^  M 

184 


THE  NORTHWEST  COAST;  OK, 


Irii 


bore  his  whole  weight,  pressing  his  clenched  fists  on 
to  the  patient's  chest  till  I  thought  he  would  kill  the 
woman.  Then  he  would  scoop  his  hands  together  as  if 
he  had  caught  something,  which  he  would  then  try  and 
blow  through  his  hands  into  the  coals.  These  ceremo- 
nies continued  for  an  hour,  or  till  the  old  fellow  was  so 
exhausted  with  his  exertions  he  could  do  no  more. 

When  Suis  waked  up  she  did  not  feel  particularly  re- 
freshed, but  complained  of  severe  pain.  John  said  it 
was  right,  for  he  had  seen  the  skookum,  and,  no  doubt, 
should  remove  it.  I  inquired  why  they  in  one  case  cast 
oil  on  the  fire,  and  in  the  other  had  no  blaze,  but  only 
smoke.  They  said  that  the  memelose  wished  Suis  to 
go  with  them,  so  she  might  be  happier  and  have  more 
comforts ;  but  they  wished  to  show  the  memelose  that 
she  had  plenty  of  both  friends  and  property ;  so  they 
built  a  big  blaze,  that  the  memelose  could  see  the  nice 
cle&n  lodge  she  had,  and  the  plenty  with  which  she  was 
surrounded. 

But  in  the  other  case,  all  they  wanted  of  the  fire  was 
to  bum  the  skookum  as  soon  as  Old  John  should  catch 
it.  He  had  nearly  caught  it,  but  it  had  slipped  out  of 
his  hand ;  but  they  were  certain  he  would  get  it  in  a  day 
or  two.  John  continued  his  operations  through  the 
night  at  intervals  of  three  or  four  hours,  and  the  next 
day  Suis  was  taken  with  vomiting,  and,  to  the  utter 
astonishment  of  the  captain  and  myself,  recovered,  and 
was  well  in  less  than  a  week. 

Whether  the  cure  was  effected  by  the  severe  manipu- 
lation she  had  undergone,  or  by  the  effects  of  mesmer- 
ism, or  from  her  own  strong  constitution  receiving  reac- 
tion by  her  fasting,  I  am  not  prepared  to  say,  but  sim- 
ply state  the  fact  that  she  got  perfectly  well. 

The  other  case  to  which  I  alluded  was  that  of  an  old 
woman  named  Sal-tsi-mar,  who  lived  with  her  people  on 


:ti3 


THREE  YEABS  AT  SHOAL-WATER  BAY. 


185 


a  little  creek  about  an  eighth  of  a  mile  from  us.  She 
was  quite  old,  and  had  been  for  a  long  time  troubled 
with  the  liver  complaint,  similar  to  Suis.  This  sort  of 
sickness  appears  to  be  quite  common  among  them,  and 
may  be  caused  by  their  living  on  such  rank,  oily  food 
as  whalers  blubber,  seals,  and  stale  salmon-eggs.  Be 
that  as  it  may,  I  have  noticed  the  complaint  frequently 
in  both  old  and  young.  Sometimes,  on  its  first  appear- 
ance, they  will  blister  their  sides  with  a  poultice  of  the 
cress  I  before  mentioned,  and  commonly  this  relieves 
them.  Old  Sal-tsi-mar  was  too  old  and  too  far  gone  for 
either  blisters  or  doctors  to  do  her  any  good,  and,  conse- 
quently, she  died.  She  had  considerable  property  in 
blankets  and  Chinese  chests,  and  also  had  hoarded  up  a 
large  quantity  of  silver  money.  Consequently,  when  it 
was  announced  that  she  was  about  to  die,  she  found  her- 
self surrounded  (as  many  an  old  white  woman  of  proper- 
ty has  been)  by  a  host  of  disconsolate  friends,  weeping 
and  lamenting  at  her  approaching  end,  ready,  when  the 
last  breatli  is  drawn,  to  dry  their  eyes  and  go  to  fight- 
ing for  the  spoils. 

In  this  instance  old  Cartumhays,  and  old  Mahar,  a  cel- 
ebrated doctor,  were  the  chief  mourners,  probably  from 
being  the  smartest  scamps  among  the  relatives.  Their 
duty  was  to  prepare  the  canoe  for  the  reception  of  the 
body.  One  of  the  largest  and  best  the  deceased  had 
owned  was  then  hauled  into  the  woods,  at  some  distance 
back  of  the  lodge,  after  having  been  first  thoroughly 
washed  and  scrubbed^  Two  large  square  holes  were 
then  cut  in  the  bottom,  at  the  bow  and  stem,  for  the 
twofold  purpose  of  rendering  the  canoe  unfit  for  further 
use,  and  therefore  less  likely  to  excite  the  cupidity  of  the 
whites  (who  are  but  too  apt  to  help  themselves  to  these 
depositories  for  the  dead),  and  also  to  allow  any  rain  to 
pass  off  readily. 


■  4  '■ 


f 


;*i| 


\.  " 


}S  Hi*. 


►  \  \ 


186 


THE  NORTHWEST  COAST;   OR, 


\i 


I 


When  the  canoe  was  ready,  the  corpse,  wrapped  in 
blankets,  was  brought  out,  and  laid  in  it  on  mats  previ- 
ously spread.  All  the  wearing  apparel  was  next  put  in 
beside  the  body,  together  with  her  trinkets,  beads,  little 
baskets,  and  various  trifles  she  had  prized.  More  blank- 
ets were  then  covered  over  the  body,  and  mats  smoothed 
over  all.  Next,  a  small  canoe,  which  fitted  into  the 
large  one,  was  placed,  bottom  up,  over  the  corpse,  and 
the  whole  then  covered  with  mats.  The  canoe  was  then 
raised  up  and  placed  on  two  parallel  bars,  elevated  four 
or  five  feet  from  the  ground,  and  supported  by  being  in- 
serted through  holes  mortised  at  the  top  of  four  stout 
posts  previously  firmly  planted  in  the  earth.  Around 
these  poles  were  then  hung  blankets,  and  all  the  cooking 
utensils  of  the  deceased,  pots,  kettles,  and  pans,  each  with 
a  hole  punched  through  it,  and  all  her  crockery-ware,  ev- 
ery piece  of  which  was  first  cracked  or  broken,  to  render 
it  useless ;  and  then,  when  all  was  done,  they  left  her  to 
remain  for  one  year,  when  the  bones  would  be  buried  in 
a  box  in  the  earth  directly  under  the  canoe ;  but  that, 
with  all  its  appendages,  would  never  be  molested,  but 
left  to  go  to  gradual  decay,  • ' 

They  regard  these  canoes  precisely  as  we  regard  cof- 
fins, and  would  no  more  think  of  using  one  than  we 
should  of  using  our  own  grave-yard  relics ;  and  it  is,  in 
their  view,  as  much  of  a  desecration  for  a  white  man  to 
meddle  or  interfere  with  these,  to  them,  sacred  memen- 
toes, as  it  would  be  to  us  to  have  an  Indian  break  open 
the  graves  of  our  relatives.  M^ny  thoughtless  white 
men  have  done  this,  and  animosities  have  been  thus  oc- 
casioned. 

While  the  corpse  remained  in  the  house,  not  a  word 
was  spoken  except  in  a  whisper,  nor  did  they  commence 
their  lamentations  till  the  whole  funeral  ceremonies  were 
over ;  then,  the  signal  being  given,  they  began  to  sing  a 


mmm 


in 


Xv   t 


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i^il" 


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r,m 


■  h     V 


VX] 


i   V 


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^ 


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1 


H 


%^ 


deaths 
Tomh) 
tative, 
of  the 
m&yh 
to  the 
she  ha 
poor,  a 
they  8{ 
the  dea 

«Oh,c 
•carceljr  i 

"Manj 
wisdom. 

"Yoai 
but  your  ] 

"You  8 
deeds  of  i 

Ever] 
by  the 
moomii 
the  nan 
are  fina 
qaentlj 
again. 
On 
names, 
back  if 
accustoi 
daughte 
ed  hims 
Husseir 
his  to  S 
cumuz, 
wilk. 
lalwi 


l^iliP 


THBBB  TBAB8  AT  BHOALrWATER  BAY. 


189 


death-flong,  and  thump  the  roof  with  their  long  poles, 
Tomhays  and  Mahar  alternately  leading  off  the  reci- 
tative, while  the  rest  joined  in  the  chorus.  The  burden 
of  the  song,  as  it  was  afterward  related  to  me  in  Jargon, 
may  be  translated  as  follows.  It  is  simply  an  address 
to  the  dead,  stating  their  love  for  her,  the  many  years 
she  had  lived  with  and  taught  them,  that  she  was  not 
poor,  and  had  no  occasion  to  go  to  a  better  country,  and 
they  saw  no  reason  why  she  should  go  to  the  land  of 
the  dead,  and  was  something  like  this :  >ki> 

"Oh,  otur  mother!  why  did  jou  go  and  leave  ns  so  sad?  We  can 
scarcely  see  by  reason  of  the  water  that  falls  from  oar  eyes.  '•^- 

**  Many  years  have  yoa  lived  with  us,  and  taught  us  the  words  of 
wisdom. 

**  Ton  were  not  poor,  neither  are  we  poor ;  neither  were  you  weak, 
bat  your  heart  and  limbs  were  strong. 

**Toa  should  have  lived  with  us  many  years,  and  told  us  more  of  the 
deeds  of  ancient  times." 

Every  day,  at  sunrise  and  sunset,  this  chant  is  repeated 
by  the  relatives  for  thirty  days  —  when  the  days  of 
mourning  are  ended — ^but  never,  on  any  pretense,  must 
the  name  of  the  deceased  be  spoken  till  after  the  bones 
are  finally  deposited  in  their  last  resting-place ;  and  fre- 
quently years  wiU  elapse  before  they  dare  call  the  name 

again.  ii^-s.-.-nmniiC  i^r^b'ytl    ■  .-f^.m  ^ifrfm  ii- 

On  these  occasions  they  always  change  their  own 
names,  as  they  think  the  spinfH  of  the  dead  will  come 
back  if  they  hear  the  same  name  called  that  they  were 
accustomed  to  hear  before  death.  Toke,  who  had  lost  a 
daughter  just  previous  to  my  going  to  the  Bay,  call- 
ed himself  Chehait.  Heyalma,  whose  brother  died  at 
RussellX  called  himself  Cletheas.  Tomhays  changed 
his  to  Senequa,  and  Tomanawos  his  to  Winasie.  Yan- 
cumux,  a  brother  of  Tomanawos,  changed  his  to  Yako- 
wilk.  ^' 

I  always  supposed  that  Indian  names  had  some  direct 


u 

% 


%'^-m 

i':i>i 


i- 


■.^^■M 


Ui    M 


190 


THE  NORtHWEBT  COAST;    OR, 


h  ) 


I 


1    ■' 


reference  to  objects  of  nature,  as  **  The  White  Flower 
of  the  Prairie,"  "The  War-eagle,"  &c.,  and  the  hundred 
other  poetical  names  made  familiar  to  us  by  skillful  pens 
of  ready  poets. 

But  in  the  case  of  these  Indians  it  was  not  so.  Un- 
doubtedly, could  their  names  be  traced  up  to  their  origin, 
they,  like  our  own,  would  be  found  to  refer  to  some  in- 
cident long  ago  forgotten.  I  frequently  asked  the  mean- 
ing of  different  persons'  names,  and  was  told  that  they 
did  not  mean  any  thing.  Those  that  I  have  mentioned 
were  names  of  some  of  their  ancestors,  but  what  those 
names  meant  they  did  not  know.  One  day,  while  being 
more  than  usually  inquisitive,  old  Suis,  to  whom  I  was 
talking,  after  trying  to  make  me  understand  that  the 
names  I  was  asking  about  had  no  meaning,  at  last  said, 
"  Why,  you  white  people  have  names  like  ours ;  some 
mean  something,  and  others  mean  nothing.  I  know 
your  name,  Swan,  is  like  our  word  Cocumb,  and  means 
a  big  bird ;  and  Mr.  Lake's  name  is  for  water,  like  Shoal- 
water  Bay.  But  what  does  Mr.  RusselPs,  or  Baldt's,  or 
Champ's,  or  Hillyer's,  or  Sweeney's,  or  Weldon's  name 
mean  ?" 

I  told  her  I  did  not  know.  **  Well,"  she  replied,  "  so 
it  is  with  us.  We  don't  know  what  those  names  you 
have  asked  mean ;  all  we  know  is  that  they  were  the 
names  of  our  ancestors — elip  tillicums,  or  first  people." 
';  Those  names  that  she  knew  she  explained  to  me ;  for 
instance,  Carcowan's  son  was  named  Tleyuk,  meaning  a 
spark  of  fire ;  another  was  named  Yelloh,  or  the  whale; 
another  chief's  name  is  Cocumh^  or  the  swan ;  another, 
from  his  ingenuity,  was  called  Squintum,  or  the  i^hite 
man ;  and  a  young  squaw,  named  Spaark^  or  the  rose ; 
and  another,  named  Wheeark^  or  the  eagle.  Others  are 
named  for  some  deformity,  as  Dusheerhutch,  the  long 
back ;  or  Keer-ukao,  crooked  nose. 


THREE  YEARS  AT  SHOAL-WATER  DAT. 


191 


This  system  of  names  they  apply  to  the  whites.  Ore 
who  had  a  large  beard  was  culled  Chepoochucks  ;  an<'^h- 
er  one,  marked  by  the  small-pox,  was  named  Pekoa*  ;  a 
freckled  man  was  called  Tsum  Bill ;  and  old  M'CArty, 
whose  hair  was  short  and  bristly,  was  named  Cushxi  Bill, 
or  Hog  Bill.  This  propensity  to  change  names  and  adopt 
new  ones  appears  to  have  been  common  with  the  tribes 
on  the  northeastern  coast  as  well  as  the  northwest.  In 
Douglases  summary  oi'  the  History  of  the  British  Pos- 
sessions in  North  America,  published  in  1747,  he  says 
of  the  Indians  of  New  England : 

"There  is  not  the  same  reason  for  preserving  the 
names  of  the  countries,  nations,  tribes,  mountains,  and 
rivers  as  there  is  for  preserving  the  Greek,  Koman,  and 
other  more  modern  names  of  such  things  in  Europe. 
The  Indians  have  no  civil  or  classical  history  to  require 
it.  The  Indians  change  their  own  personal  names,  and 
the  names  of  other  things,  upon  the  most  trifling  occa- 
sions. Our  Indians  affect  to  have  English  names ;  thus 
Massasoit's  two  sons  desired  of  the  court  of  Plymouth 
to  give  them  names.  They  were  accordingly  named  Al- 
exander and  Philip." 

Although  the  Indians  mentioned  had  changed  their 
names,  they  were  called  by  the  whites  usually  after  the 
old  style,  particularly  Tomhays,  and  Toke,  and  Yancu- 
mux.  We  knew  them  by  those  cognomens,  and  it  was 
difficult,  under  the  name  of  Chehait,  to  recognize  drunk- 
en old  Toke,  or,  under  that  of  Senequa,  to  call  to  mind 
the  cunning,  thieving,  lying  Cartumhays,  or  to  address 
the  jolly,  good-natured  Yancumux  as  Yakowilk ;  but  we 
managed  very  well  with  the  others,  and  called  them  by 
whichever  name  we  happened  to  think  of. 

At  the  expiration  of  one  year  from  the  time  a  person 
dies,  the  friends  assemble,  and  after  collecting  the  bones, 
wrap  them  up  in  a  new  cotton  cloth,  and  either  bury 


■<'».>" 


m^ 


•> 


•*9 

m 


M 


192 


THE  NORTHWEST   COAST;   OR, 


il 


..  ..'  '' 
I'  ■      i 


them  directly  under  the  canoe,  as  before  stated,  or,  in 
some  instances,  collect  them,  and  have  them  buried  in 
one  family  cemetery.  Toke's  ancestors  and  his  own 
family  had  been  buried  at  Toke's  Point,  but  several  of 
the  connections  of  the  family  had  been  buried  at  differ- 
ent parts  of  the  Bay.  It  was  at  length  decided  to  collect 
all  these  remains  together,  and  transport  them  to  Toke's 
Point.  This  was  performed  during  the  ensuing  summer ; 
but,  although  they  allowed  me  to  cross  the  Bay  with 
them,  tliey  left  me  sitting  in  the  lodge  we  had  stopped 
at  eating  sturgeon,  and  slipped  off  with  their  relics  -^hich 
they  buried  at  another  place.  I  asked  them,  when  they 
returned,  what  they  meant  by  treating  me  so.  They  re- 
plied that  at  first  they  were  willing  I  should  witness  their 
ceremonies ;  but  when  they  reflected  that  the  spirits  of 
all  those  dead  persons,  and  hosts  of  others,  were  stand- 
ing round,  watching  to  see  that  every  thing  was  rightly 
performed,  they  felt  afraid  to  have  me  with  them,  lest 
the  memelose  should  be  angry.  , ,. , 

All  the  fasts  or  observances  I  had  witnessed  bore  no 
resemblance  to  any  form  which  we  denominate  worship ; 
and,  as  has  before  been  remarked,  they  have  each  a  pri- 
vate Tomanawos,  or  guardian  spirit,  to  whom  they  make 
all  their  wants  known,  and  that  in  the  most  private  man- 
ner. It  mast  not  be  supposed,  however,  that  they  have 
no  religious  sentiment.  In  fact,  the  Indian  is  at  all 
times  impressed  with  the  sense  of  the  actual  presence  of 
his  Tomanawos ;  and  whatever  he  does,  whether  it  be 
good  or  bad,  stealing  or  helping,  murdering  or  giving  aid, 
he  always  looks  for  assistance  from  his  Tomdnawos.  The 
only  outward  demonstration  of  address  to  the  spiritual 
world  that  I  saw  was  during  cases  of  sickness,  or  when 
bewailing  the  dead. 

All  of  them  had  a  general  idea  of  the  Christian  relig- 
ion, but  not  one  believed  it,  although  several  had  been 


THREE  YEARS  AT  SHOAL-WATER  BAY. 


193 


considered,  during  the  residence  of  the  priest  at  Chenook, 
as  exemplary  members  of  the  Church.  But  when  the 
restrictions  of  the  Church  were  taken  away  by  the  ab- 
sence of  the  priest,  they  all  returned  to  their  old  heathen- 
ism again.  They  can  not  strictly  be  termed  idolaters, 
for  they  do  not  worship  the  outward  symbols  of  any 
thing ;  that  is  directly  opposed  to  their  system  of  studi- 
ously concealing  the  na7ne  of  their  Tomanawos  ;  and  if 
that  Tomanawos  should  chance  to  have  been  a  bear  or  a 
salmon,  by  making  an  image  of  either,  and  addressing  it 
in  terms  of  adoration  or  supplication,  they  would  at  once 
reveal  the  name  and  object  of  their  secret  worship. 

The  only  way,  in  my  opinion,  ir  which  an  Indian  can 
be  thoroughly  changed  and  Christianized  is  by  either 
taking  the  child  from  its  parents  and  bringing  it  up  un- 
der Christian  instruction,  and  away  from  tribal  influ- 
ences and  prejudices,  or  to  gradually  civilize  a  tribe,  and 
let  the  rising  generation  make  the  change.  In  all  the 
accounts  we  have  that  are  to  be  relied  upon,  it  will  be 
seen  that  any  and  all  Christian  Indians  are  those  of  a 
generation  succeeding  that  to  whom  the  missionaries  first 
addressed  themselves  ;  and  all  the  missionaries  who  have 
really  and  truly  succeeded,  have  done  so  by  first  teach- 
ing the  Indian  the  manners  of  a  civilized  life,  and  grad- 
ually, as  he  became  accustomed  to  a  change  of  life,  they 
could  teach  him  a  change  of  heart.  All  other  converts, 
or  seeming  converts,  who  have  been  suffered  to  live  in 
their  primitive  style,  are  sure  at  heart  to  retain  their  an- 
cient religion.  Nor  is  this  strange.  From  their  earliest 
infancy  they  have  heard  the  legends  and  mythological 
tales  told  them  daily,  and  on  every  occasion,  by  the  an- 
cient people,  by  their  own  parents,  and  repeated  by  their 
playfellows.  These  early  impressions  can  not  be  easily 
eradicated. 

The  same  difficulties  in  approaching  the  Indian  tribes 


fisii' 


4     'M 


- 1 


i 


ij.. 


Yi: 


•  ■■■    ■  ''ih'S 


hii 


V-~:, 

'€i 

*!* 

"  ''■%' 

"   ..1 

i'>'-''"'Hl» 

'■'    ^    , 

''iiM 

M, 

IM 

V\- 


194 


THE   NORTHWEST   COAST;    OR, 


if  ; 


!      i 


ih 


was  experienced  in  the  early  settlement  of  the  country. 
The  missionaries  are  not  always  chosen  from  the  right 
class  of  people ;  zealous  themselves,  they  press  their 
zeal  without  knowledge,  and  attempt  to  make  the  In- 
dians understand  the  mysterious  doctrines  of  our  relig- 
ion, when,  in  fact,  the  Indian  is  like  an  infant  scarce  able 
to  either  talk  or  understand. 

Douglass,  in  his  Summary*  (vol.  ii.,  p.  161),  writing 
on  the  religion  of  the  Indians  of  New  England,  gives  his 
ideas  of  the  method  practiced  by  the  missionaries  at  that 
time,  which  is  very  applicable  to  the  present.  He  re- 
marks :  *'  Some  Indians  of  sagacity,  a  little  civilized  and 
instructed  toward  the  Christian  religion,  can  give  no  dis- 
tinct account  of  any  Indian  religion,  and  stumble  much 
at  the  mysteries  of  our  Christian  religion,  being  indis- 
creetly crowded  upon  them  at  once,  and  with  too  much 
impetuosity,  without  previous  instruction.  *  If  you  do 
not  believe  immediately -you  will  be  damned,'  is  the  ex- 
pression of  our  zealots ;  whereas  they  ought  to  be  first 
tamed  by  familiarity  and  fair  dealing.  *  ♦  *  Our 
missionaries,  void  of  common  prudence,  in  a  reverse  pre- 
posterous manner,  begin  with  the  abstruse  articles  of  the 
Christian  religion,  and  thence  proceed  to  instruct  them 
in  the  plain,  easy  dictates  of  nature. 

"  In  a  silly,  low,  cant  way,  some  of  our  preachers  tell 
the  Indians  that  the  Christians'  God  is  a  better  God  than 
the  Indians'  God,  whereas  they  ought  to  inform  them 
that  there  is  but  one  supreme  God,  e  nd  that  our  manner 
of  worsnipping  this  God  is  more  agreeable  to  the  God- 
head, as  being  more  natural  and  decent. 

**  If  some  of  our  traders  were  instructed,  and,  at  a 

public  charge,  capacitated  to  sell  cheap  among  the  In- 

*  See  "  A  Summar}',  Historical  and  Political,  of  the  first  Planting, 
Progressive  Improvements,  and  Present  State  of  the  British  Settle- 
ments in  North  America,  by  William  Douglass,  M.D.  2  vols.  8vo.  J. 
Dodsley,  London.     1760." 


THREE  YEi^       AT  SHOAL-WATER  BAT. 


195 


dians,  they  would  ^Jin  their  affections  in  this  trading 
familiar  manner,  and  lay  a  good  foundation  for  their  con- 
version toward  Christianity.  An  abrupt  Christian  mis- 
sion among  them  seems  absurd.  If  the  Emperor  of 
China,  or  the  Grand  Turk,  should  send  such  missiona- 
ries into  Great  Britain  to  convert  the  people  there  to  the 
doctrines  of  Confucius  or  Mohammed,  instead  of  gaining 
proselytes  he  would  avert  them." 

Dr.  Douglass  then  states,  "  I  do  not  find  that  Christian- 
ity is  like  to  have  any  footing  among  the  Indians.  We 
are  not  exemplary  enough  in  our  dealings  or  in  common 
life.  The  Indians  say  that  they  can  not  perceive  man- 
kind the  better  for  being  Christians ;  Christians  cheat 
them  out  of  their  lands  and  other  effects,  and  sometimes 
deprive  them  of  their  lives.  The  Indians  are  in  all  re- 
spects wild,  and  know  nothing  of  the  rudiments  of  relig- 
ion; and  the  missionaries,  instead  of  first  taming  and 
civilizing  them,  and  next  instructing  them  in  the  prin- 
ciples of  natural  religion  and  morality,  begin  with  the 
sublime  mysteries  of  our  religion,  such  as.  How  many 
persons  are  there  in  the  Godhead  ?  and  the  like.  Thus 
from  the  beginning  they  are  bewildered  and  lost  forever. 
Some  -pr&ciicepicejraudes^  which  at  first  may  amuse,  but 
afterward,  when  discovered,  leave  a  permanent  prejudice 
against  the  Christian  religion.  Thus  it  is  said  that  some 
French  missionaries,  in  relating'  to  the  Indians  the  his- 
tory of  our  Savior's  birth  and  suffering,  tell  them  that 
the  Virgin  Mary  was  a  French  woman,  and  that  the  En- 
glish crucified  our  Savior." 

I  do  not  know  that  the  missionaries  of  the  present 
enlightened  age  go  quite  so  far  as  those  mentioned  by 
Douglass,  but  the  results  are  little  better.  Greenhow  re- 
marks of  the  results  of  the  Jesuits  in  California,  **  That 
their  efforts  are  attended  with  good  can  not  be  denied ; 
for  those  who  were  the  objects  of  their  immediate  care 


1 


•4^^'!^?:, 

.^■^'■r:- 


m 


m 


u 


f  I   ' 

r  I 


t 


li  ; 


196 


THE  NORTHWEST  COAST;    OB, 


were  certainly  rendered  happier,  more  comfortable,  and 
more  free  from  vice  than  they  would  otherwise  have 
been ;  bat,  although  they  did  introduce  a  certain  degree 
of  civilization,  or  apparent  civilization,  among  these  peo- 
ple, yet  there  is  no  reason  to  believe  that,  by  any  means 
as  yet  employed  for  the  purpose,  a  single  Califomian  In- 
dian has  been  rendered  a  useful  or  even  an  innocuous 
member  of  society."  ., 

The  present  state  of  the  Indian  population  in  Oregon 
and  Washington  does  not  reflect  much  credit  on  their 
Christian  acquirements ;  and  although,  in  times  of  peace, 
they  are  willing  to  flock  round  the  missions,  and  receive 
spiritual  as  weU  as  temporal  food,  yet  no  sooner  does  an 
opportunity  occur  when  they  can  raise  the  war-whoop, 
than  we  find  these  Christian  converts  among  the  most 
ruthless  of  the  savages  in  their  horrid  deeds  of  blood. 
'  The  Indians  can  see  but  little  or  no  difference  between 
their  system  of  Tomanawos  and  our  own  views  as  taught 
them.  For  instance,  the  talipus,  or  fox,  is  their  emblem 
of  the  creative  power;  the  smispee,  or  duck,  that  of  wis- 
dom. And  they  say  that  the  Boston  people,  or  Ameri- 
cans, have  for  their  Tomanawos  the  wheark,  or  eagle, 
and  that  the  King  George,  or  English  people,  have  a  Hon 
for  their  Tomanawos. 

In  matters  of  religion,  as  taught  them  by  the  priest, 
they  have  no  idea  of  their  spiritual  signification.  The 
emblem  of  the  Holy  Spirit  is  to  them  a  simple  pigeon, 
and  the  Agnus  Dei  but  a  sheep,  la  mouton  being  the 
only  word  which  can  be  used  to  express  the  meaning  of 
the  emblem.  Nor  can  they  be  made  to  understand  or 
believe  the  miraculous  history  of  our  Savior's  birth.  The 
difficulty  with  these,  as  with  all  other  savage  tribes,  is  the 
want  of  suitable  words  to  convey  our  ideas.  The  Indian 
must  first  be  taught  the  English  language,  and  then  they 
can  understand  what  the  English  or  Americans  wish  to 


lliil!' 


THREE  YEARS  AT  SHOAL-WATER  BAY. 


197 


teach  them ;  for  it  is  impossible,  in  their  barbarous  jar- 
gon, to  convey  any  but  the  most  commonplace  ideas,  and 
the  above  instances  cited  are  but  a  fev  of  the  difficulties 
to  be  contended  with  in  an  attempt  to  establish  a  free 
and  perfect  interchange  of  thought. 

As  the  country  becomes  more  thickly  settled,  and  they 
are  brought  more  in  contact  with  civilization,  their  con- 
dition may  improve,  and  they  become  able  to  understand 
what,  to  them,  now  are  but  words  of  foolishness.     :      .; 


] 


m 


•iili: 


H  ■' ' 


v..  1 : 


CHAPTER  XII. 


Amnsements. — Games. — Children's  Amusements. — Imitate  the  Priest. 
— Readily  learn  Needle-work. — Fond  of  Singing. — Songs.— History 
of  the  Chenooks  and  Chehalis. — Di£Sculty  of  understanding  the  Le- 
gends.— Creation  of  Man. — Origin  of  Coast  Tribes.— Evidences  of 
Emigration. — Tradition  of  a  Jimk  wrecked  at  Clatsop  Beach. — Bees- 
wax found  on  the  Beach. — Remarks  on  the  various  Theories  respect- 
ing the  Origin  of  the  Indians. — Lewis  and  Clarke's  Names  of  Tribes. 
— ^The  correct  Names  of  the  Tribes. — ^Former  Tribes  of  Shoal-water 
Bay. — Evidences  of  great  Mortality  among  the  Coast  Tribes. — ^The 
Feeling  of  the  Indians  respecting  the  Dead. — Meares's  Account  of 
the  Nootkans  being  Cannibals. — Vancouver  doubts  the  Truth  of 
Meares. — Indian  Dread  of  Skulls. — Anecdote  respecting  their  Fears. 

DuRiNtt  the  whole  of  my  residence  among  the  Coast 
Indians,  I  never  witnessed  among  the  adults  any  dispo- 
sition to  play  athletic  games,  such  as  wrestling,  running 
races,  or  playing  ball.  Young  fellows  will  occasionally, 
when  half  drunk,  have  a  rough-and-tumble  scuffle  with 
each  other,  but  without  any  system  that  would  dignify 
it  with  the  name  of  game,  as  applied  to  gymnastic  or 
other  feats  of  strength.  All  they  seem  to  care  for  in  the 
way  of  amusement  is  gambling.  The  children,  however, 
are  full  of  play,  and  are  in  sdl  respects  like  little  white 
folks,  differing  only  in  being  a  little  more  wild  and  shy 
of  strangers.     I  can  only  compare  th6  two  to  the  chicks 


III' 

III:! 

if 


.,v, 


r'-^l 


h-  ;i?«i 


198 


THE  NORTHWEST  COAST;    OR, 


|y  !   ■)  ! 


m  . ! 


I  H 


1lf   -. 


of  the  partridge  on  the  one  hand  and  the  chickens  of  the 
domestic  hen  on  the  other.  The  little  Indian  children, 
when  disturbed  in  their  play,  will  run,  like  young  par- 
tridges, not  to  their  mother,  but  into  the  nearest  bush  or 
tall  grass,  from  whence  their  little,  black,  shining  eyes 
can  be  seen  peeping  out  to  catch  a  glimpse  of  the  in- 
truder. 

There  were  a  number  of  children  in  the  vicinity  of 
my  house,  and  as  I  always  noticed  them  when  they 
came  with  their  parents,  and  gave  them  plenty  of  sugar 
to  eat,  or  boiled  rice,  of  which  they  are  very  fond,  I  grad- 
ually won  their  confidence,  and  occasionally  old  Suis 
would  have  a  lot  of  these  little  boys  and  girls  to  visit  her, 
when  they  would  throw  off  all  restraint,  and  perform 
their  little  plays  as  if  no  stranger  was  among  them. 
Like  all  children,  they  are  very  fond  of  a  swing ;  and  to 
amuse  them,  Peter,  who,  though  a  young  man,  felt  like  a 
child  for  play,  made  a  swing  by  putting  up  a  couple  of 
spars  like  the  shears  used  on  board^ship,  and  from  the  top 
of  these  spars,  which  were  joined  together  at  their  upper 
end,  hung  a  single  rope,  with  a  loop  at  its  lower  extrem- 
ity. Into  this  loop  they  would  get,  one  or  two  at  a 
time,  and  swing  away  for  hours,  taking  turns  in  causing 
the  momentum  by  means  of  pulling  a  line  attached  to 
the  bottom  of  the  swing. 

The  boys  were  fond  of  making  canoes  either  from 
flags,  which  were  twisted  so  as  to  form  a  sort  of  boat,  or 
from  chips,  on  which  they  would  hoist  a  leaf  for  a  sail, 
and  start  them  off  on  voyages  down  the  creek.  Some- 
times a  lad  with  more  ingenuity  than  the  rest  would 
carve  out  a  pretty  model  of  a  canoe  from  a  cedar  stick ; 
and  I  have  seen  boys,  with  little  canoes  which  they  had 
m?de,  scai'ce  three  feet  long,  fearlessly  paddle  about  the 
water  in  these  little  cockles,  which  seemed  ready  at  any 
moment  to  sink. 


THREE  YEARS  AT  SHOAL-WATER  BAY. 


199 


Sometimes  the  boys  wolild  catch  a  lot  of  minnows, 
and  then  the  girls  would  join  them,  and,  having  made  a 
little  fire  and  a  miniature  rack  for  smoking  fish,  would 
imitate  the  manner  of  curing  salmon,  which,  when  done, 
were  served  up  as  a  repast.  Tiie  girls  were  very  fond 
of  making  rag  babies  and  dressing  up  clam-shells  like 
children.  One  of  these  girls,  a  sister  of  Peter  and  a 
niece  of  old  Suis,  had  a  small  trunk  full  of  these  rag 
dolls  dressed  in  all  sorts  of  style,  which  she  used  to  pa- 
rade out  whenever  her  little  friends  came  to  see  her. 
One  day,  when  a  number  of  these  children  were  there  on 
a  visit,  I  noticed  they  were  very  busy  on  the  beach, 
where  they  seemed  intently  engaged  in  some  very  quiet 
games.  I  went  where  they  were  seated,  and  found  they 
were  playing  church,  and  were  imitating  the  Catholic 
service  that  they  had  seen  at  Chenook.  One  smart  lit- 
tle fellow,  about  fifteen  years  old,  named  Quel-lah-ho, 
was  officiating  as  priest,  and  had  proceeded  so  far  as  the 
baptism,  which  at  that  time  he  was  engaged  in,  bestow- 
ing names  on  all  the  dolls  belonging  to  the  party.  He 
would  rattle  over  the  Latin,  or  what  to  him  seemed  as 
such,  giving  the  priest's  intonations  in  a  most  aston- 
isliing  manner,  and  so  nearly  right  that  a  person  at  a 
short  distance  might  readily  suppose  he  was  actually 
performing  the  Catholic  service.  As  the  girls  objected 
to  his  putting  water  on  their  babies,  he  was  using  dry 
sand  instead,  and  when  it  came  the  time  to  chant,  they 
all  joined  in  as  near  an  imitation  as  they  could. 

When  I  came  up  they  did  not  observe  me  till  I  had 
watched  them  some  time,  when  they  all  got  into  the 
greatest  glee,  thinking  the  whole  subject  a  capital  joke. 
''''Ensika  mamoke  heehee  La  Plate^''  or,  *'  We  are  play- 
ing priest,"  said  they,  in  answer  to  my  inquiry  what 
they  were  doing.  I  told  them  it  was  not  right  for  them 
to  make  fun  of  the  priest,  and  they  must  not  play  priest 


•...- 1 


m 


4 

5C  r 

■■ 

1 ) 

J 

'■i; 

h? 

><.i« 


'^' 


200 


ml 


li 


THE  NORTHWEST  COAST;    OR, 


any  more.  They  promised  that  they  would  not,  but  in- 
sisted that  their  dolls  should  retain  the  names  their 
priest  had  given  them.  ', 

I  afterward  found  that  this  was  one  of  the  favorite 
plays  with  the  children,  and  showed  how  much  value  the 
ritual  of  the  Church  had  either  in  their  eyes  or  in  their 
parents',  who  used  to  encourage  them  to  mimic  the  cere- 
monies that  they  had  seen  at  Chenook. 

The  girls  all  learn  the  use  of  the  needle  early,  and, 
although  their  style  of  sewing  is  not  what  would  show 
well  on  line  muslin,  yet,  like  that  kind  of  tailoring  said 
to  have  been  performed  by  a  celebrated  personage,  who 
mended  his  garments  by  sewing  them  with  a  rope,  if  it 
is  not  neat,  it  is  strong. 

I  have  seen  one  of  these  little  girls,  Anwillik,  Peter's 
sister,  who  was  not  over  twelve  years  old,  take  a  piece 
of  calico,  cut  out  dresses  for  herself  and  two  other  little 
girls  who  were  her  slaves,  and  have  the  gowns  made  up 
and  be  wearing  them  in  less  than  half  a  day.     ,.....,  . 

They  are  all  very^  fond  of  singing,  and  some  of  their 
tunes  are  plaintive  and  sweet. 

The  following  are  some  of  those  that  I  can  recollect. 

They  generally  improvise  as  they  sing ;  but,  when  they 

have  no  particular  object  to  sing  about,  they  use  certain 

words  which  have  about  the  same  meaning  as  our  fa, 

sol,  la. 

BOAT  SONG. 


I 


^i 


-y=^ 


?=p' 


i 


Ah    lah    we  yah.    Ah    lim    we  jah,  we 


yah. 


•7  Ah 


^e^fet 


Ah     lah   we  yah,     Ah     lah  we  yah,  we 


yah. 


I 


r~i-~i-f^H-iHf=l=i 


Ah     lah    we  yah,    Ah     lah    we  yah,  we         yah. 


1 


THREE  YEAES  AT  SHOAL-WATER  BAY. 


201 


The  preceding  song  is  repeated  over  and  over  till  the 
singer  is  tired.  % 

!!:;--■'      FISHING  SONG. 


.'%. 


^^^^^^^^^^ 


Oh     ah      ah      ah,  Oh    ah    we  yah,  Oh    ah    we  yah, 


^E^;k^^^^^m 


Oh     ah     we     yah,     Oh     ah     we     yah,  we      yah. 

INDIAN  WOMAN'S  SONG  TO  HER  HUSBAND  WHO  AB- 
SENTS HIMSELF. 


I 


■k 


efef^fH 


fe^F^F 


.0—0- 


^F 


i=^^^g 


Cah   mi  •  ka  Klat  •  te<wah,    Cah  mi  -  ka  Klat  •  te-wah. 


^^^m 


Eor-na-way      sun. 


^^ 


* 


=F 


-^ 


-0—0 


-S 


e 


Hiu  -  -  kly   An-na  -  wil  -  lee. 


Oh  nika  tenas,  hiaa  cla  hai  am,  hiu  kly,  kornaway  sun,  nika  tenas,     * 
Komaway  halo,  ensika  muck  a  muck,  wake  slab  memelose,  nika  tenas. 

"  Where  do  you  go  to  every  day,  and  cause  me  to  cry  all  the  time  ? 
My  little  child  is  poor  and  hungry,  but  has  nothing  to  eat,  as  our  food 
is  all  gone,  and  before  long  my  little  one  will  be  dead." 

There  does  not  appear  to  be  any  regular  form  of  words 
used  like  songs  with  us,  but  almost  always  the  incidents 
of  the  moment  form  themes  for  their  tunes,  as  with  us 
thfcy  are  subjects  for  conversation. 


SUIS'S  SONG  TO  HER  TOMANAWOS. 


••iT 
•I 


% 


Wf>-^- 


■X. 


P^:x^^r- 


7r\- 


E?SS 


r 


is: 


ISl 


s 


Wah    ich   ah,  wah     wah  wah  ah,     Wah    ich     ah,   wah 


I 


?^i 


8| hr-'— ' — I — I — i — -*-  -+—■»■,— 


P 


wah  wah  ah    ah  ah  ah  ah  oh  oh  oh  oh  oh  oh  oh  oh  wah  ut 

12 


,11      '*^m 

1 

iiiH              ,  'j  . WIS 

\i  i        ''  *■»!♦  TIM 

■                  .:^'-j 

'i  I' 

i                  :    ,' 

1 

Hi                              j'!- 

m4 

1  ' '   .    '*<- 

1 '    ^ 

1    .  ii 

ii          ''  h1 

m      ■*          ■  't"i 

1             ,>'    '■'^'^ 

m      ttv-'/'f  :"* 

i 

I  I 


I 

I:   i    ' ' 


202 


THE  NORTHWEST  COAST;   OK, 
Si   CO-DLYE'S  TOMANAWOS  SONG. 


i^^^Sfes^^Sii 


Ah    ah    ah     ah  we  yah,  Ah    ah    ah      ah  we    yak 
GAMBLING  SONG. 


f. 


;^^4iim^^^ 


• • •  9     T 


Wa 


ich      e  -  -  e, 


Wa 


^     r    ^"^  p  •    •    •    •   ^^ 


ich    e  -  -  e,         Wa  -  ich        Wa  -  ich        ah  ah  ah  ah. 


MEDICINE  SONG. 


^!^^^^=jlEfe^^^^j^ 


I 


hitu        eoohahahitu        eoohaha 


^^^EfE^E^^i^E^ 


=HVH«=^' 


t: 


^F- 


hahahahahahahahahitu  e-- 

yah   oh-o-o-o«o-o-o-o-  o-^o<-  oh. 

While  these  songs  are  sung,  time  is  kept  by  beating 
with  sticks,  or  thumping  the  roof  of  the  lodge  with  a 
pole. 

Of  the  early  history  of  the  Chenook  or  Chehalis  tribes 
nothing  possibly  can  be  known  with  certainty.  Like  all 
the  rest  of  the  North  American  Indians,  they  have  no 
written  legends ;  neither  have  these  tribes  any  monu- 
ments, or  any  other  relics  of  antiquity.  A  few  hiero- 
glyphics, rudely  painted  on  cedar  slabs,  are  the  only  rec- 
ords that  I  have  met  with,  and  these  were  only  the  To- 


THREE  YEARS  AT   SHOAL-WATER  BAY. 


203 


indnawos  or  Totem  of  individual  chiefs  or  doctors,  and 
served  rather,  like  the  inscriptions  on  our  grave-stones, 
to  perpetuate  the  memory  of  the  deceased,  than  to  give, 
or  attempt  to  give,  any  historical  information. 

All  that  we  learn  of  tlie  early  history  of  these  aborig- 
ines comes  to  us  in  the  shadowy  form  of  myths,  and  al- 
legories, and  traditions  related  by  the  old.  This  is  but 
poor  authority  for  events  that  have  transpired  centuries 
ago,  and  we  are  only  left  to  speculative  theories  to  help 
us  form  what,  from  its  very  uncertainty,  must  be  but  a 
faint  glimmering  of  the  truth. 

The  great  difficulty  of  rightly  comprehending  the  pre- 
cise meaning  of  these  legends,  and  the  want  of  system 
in  translating,  are  also  obstacles  which  every  writer  on 
Indian  history  finds  in  his  way,  no  two  translators  being 
found  who  will  render  the  same  legend  in  the  same  man- 
ner. The  tale  of  the  origin  of  mankind,  or,  rather,  of 
their  tribe,  for  the  Chenook  and  Chehalis  appear  to  have 
the  same  account,  was  related  to  me  several  times  by 
different  Indians,  but  they  did  not  agree  together  in  de- 
tail.    The  substance  of  the  tradition  is  this : 

Ages  ago,  an  old  man  named  Tocilux  (or  the  South 
Wind),  while  traveling  to  the  north,  met  an  old  woman, 
named  Quoots-hooi,  who  was  an  ogress  and  a  giantess. 
He  asked  her  for  food,  when  she  gave  him  a  net,  telling 
him  that  she  had  nothing  to  eat,  and  he  must  go  and  try 
to  catch  some  fish.  He  accordingly  dragged  the  net, 
and  succeeded  in  catching  a  grampus,  or,  as  the  Indians 
called  it,  "a  little  whale."  This  he  was  about  to  cut 
with  his  knife,  when  the  old  woman  cried  out  to  him  to 
take  a  sharp  shell,  and  not  to  cut  the  fish  crossways,  but 
split  it  down  the  back.  He,  without  giving  heed  to  what 
she  said,  cut  the  fish  across  the  side,  and  was  about  to 
take  off  a  piece  of  blubber,  but  the  fish  immediately 
changed  into  an  immense  bird,  that  when  flying  com- 


i 


i 


?■■■"•' 


'  TV 


204 


THE   NORTUWrST   COAST;     OR, 


I»,    i( 


I 


■     M 


plctcly  obscurccl  the  sun,  and  the  noise  made  by  its 
■wings  siiook  the  earth.  Tliis  bird,  wliich  they  called 
Ilaliness,  tlicu  flow  away  to  the  north,  and  lit  on  the  top 
of  the  Sa(ldi(^back  Mountain,  near  tlio  Columbia  River. 
Tocilux  and  tlio  old  woman  then  journeyed  north  in 
pearch  of  llahncss,  and  one  day,  while  Quoots-hooi  was 
engaged  in  picking  berries  on  the  side  of  the  mountain, 
Fhe  found  tiic  nest  of  the  thunder-bird,  full  of  eggs, 
which  she  commenced  breaking  and  eating,  and  from 
these  mankind  were  produced. 

The  thunder-bird  came  back,  and,  finding  its  nest  de- 
stroyed, returned  to  Toiilux  for  redress ;  but  neither  of 
them  ever  after  could  find  the  ogress,  although  they  reg- 
ularly returned  to  the  north  every  year. 

It  is  probably  tliis  tradition  wliich  has  caused  their 
present  superstitious  belief  that  the  first  salmon  caught 
must  not  be  cut  across,  but  must  be  split  down  tlie  back, 
and  then  split  in  thin  flakes.  If  it  should  be  cut  con- 
trary to  their  practice,  tht-.i  all  the  salmon  will  leave, 
and  no  more  be  taken  that  season.  The  same  result 
would  ensue  if  a  salmon's  heart  should  be  lost  or  eaten 
by  a  dog. 

This  allegorical  tale,  if  it  means  any  thing,  would  seem 
to  refer  to  the  coming  of  their  ancestors  from  the  south, 
ither  California  or  Mexico.     But  the  Mexican  tradi- 
tions, on  the  contrary,  according  to  Prescott,  continually 
refer  to  the  fact  oi their  ancestors  coming  frori  tho  north. 

Some  writers  have  asserlod  that  the  Indmns  .iie  the 
lost  tribes,  of  Israel ;  others  that  they  came  rM  i  *ioN.-  the 
Asiatic  shores  and  from  China.  Some  that  they  found 
theii  way  around  by  the  northwest,  either  by  crossing 
Behrii  fr's  Straits,  and  proceeding  gradually  down  the 
main  ia  >.»1  or  oorainrr  directly  across  from  the  northeast- 
ern s'  orcfc  oi  Asia  in  canoes  or  ancient  vessels  similar  to 
the  Japar;t,*;e  and  Chinese  junks.     .,,,,.  i  r    ., 


tti 


THREE  YEARS  AT  SHtjAL-WATER  DAY. 


205 


Otlier  and  moro  modem  wrlforg  con-^idei  that  tlicso 
Indians  camo  from  the  ctiHt  of  the  Rocky  Mountains* 
being  forced  away  from  tlic  buftalo  rogii>u  by  their  luoro 
forniidablo  neighbors.  Of  tiiia  latter  class  is  Utjueral 
George  Gibbs,  who  for  many  years  has  devoted  himself 
to  ethnological  researches  among  the  North  American  In- 
dians, a  -d  who  for  the  past  six  years  has  resided  in  Ore- 
yi  i(\  Washington  Territories,  and  whose  opinion  is 
jntiileu  (0  consideration.  General  Gibbs,  in  a  letter  to 
ni,  dated  Fort  Steilacoom,  Washington  Territory,  July 
31,  1856,  writes:  *'In  reading  Longfellow's  Hiawatha, 
that  much-abused,  praised,  laughed  at,  and  admired 
poem,  I  find  some  startling  resemblances  to  the  Nis- 
qually  and  Klikatat  tales,  so  mucli  so  as  to  confirm  the 
belief  I  already  entertained  of  all  these  tribes  having 
originated  east  of  the  Bocky  Mountains,  in  the  buffalo 
country,  and  emigrated  by  the  northern  passes  to  the 
great  Western  basin,  and  thence  down  Frazer's  River  and 
the  Columbia  to  their  present  homes,  forced  away  by 
more  powerful  neighbors." 

That  General  Gibbs's  theory  is  correct,  so  far  as  re- 
lates to  the  tribes  of  Oregon  and  Washington,  I  can  not 
dispute,  having  no  evidence  to  the  contrary.  One  thing 
is  certain,  that  all  the  tribes  are  a  wandering,  restless 
race,  and  are  as  likely  to  have  come  from  the  east  of  the 
Rocky  Mountains  as  any  where  else.  There  is,  how- 
ever, no  disputing  the  fact  that  they  have  occasionally 
received  additions  from  the  Asiatic  side,  although  to  what 
extent  is  not  known.  The  prevailing  northwest  trade- 
wind  of  the  summer  season  renders  it  very  easy  for  ca- 
noes to  come  over  from  the  northeast  Russian  coast ; 
and  in  evidence  of  that  fact,  I  can  state  that,  during  my 
residence  in  tlie  Territory,  a  canoe,  with  three  sailors  in 
her,  who  ran  away  from  a  vessel  at  Kodiak,  arrived  safe 
at  Shoal- water  Bay,  after  coming  a  distance  of  nearly 
eight  hundred  miles. 


i 


h 


m 


\\ 


206 


THE   NORTHWEST   COAST;    OR, 


u 


:l:i 


I    ,  1  ■ 


There  is  also  a  tradition  among  the  Indians  that  a 
Chinese  or  Japanese  junk  was  wrecked  years  ago  on 
Clatsop  Beach,  south  of  the  Columbia.  Part  of  her  car- 
go was  bees'- wax.  And,  to  prove  the  correctness  of  this 
tradition,  there  are  to  this  day  occasionally,  after  great 
storms,  lumps  and  pieces  of  this  wax  found  on  the  beach. 
There  are  no  wild  honey-bees  west  of  the  Rocky  Mount- 
ains, consequently  the  wax  was  not  the  product  of  that 
part  of  the  continent,  but  must  have  been  brought  as  the 
Indians  state.  I  have  had  some  of  this  wax  given  me 
hy  an  old  Indian  doctor,  who  had  picked  it  up  on  the 
beach.  Tlie  crevices  were  still  full  of  sand,  and  the  ac- 
tion of  salt  water  and  sun  had  bleached  it  nearly  white. 
The  specimen  was  sent  by  nie  to  the  California  Acad- 
emy of  Natural  Sciences.  Wilkes  also  mentions  the 
fact  of  a  Chinese  junk  having  been  wrecked  at  Point 
Grenville  in  1833,  and  three  of  the  Japanese  were  res- 
cued from  the  Indians  by  the  Hudson  Bay  Company. 

These  instances  simply  prove  that  communication  be- 
tween the  two  shores  of  the  North  Pacific  could  be,  and 
has  been  made,  but  show  nothing  farther.  My  own  be- 
lief is  that,  whatever  was  the  origin  of  different  tribes  or 
families,  the  whole  race  of  American  Indians  are  native 
and  indigenous  to  the  soil.  There  is  no  proof  that  they 
are  either  the  lost  tribes  of  Israel  or  emigrants  from  any 
part  of  the  Old  World.  Tliey  are  a  separate  and  as  dis- 
tinct a  race  as  either  the  Ethiopian,  Caucasian,  or  Mon- 
golian ;  and  because  they  are  not  particularly  described 
in  the  Mosaic  account  of  the  creation  is  no  more  an  ev- 
idence that  they  are  not  as  ancient  a  race  as  the  Jews, 
than  it  is  that  the  American  continent  was  not  formed 
at  the  same  time  the  Garden  of  Eden  was,  simply  be- 
cause Moses  did  not  know  about  it. 

In  the  absence  of  all  proof  to  the  contrary,  it  seems  to 
me  to  be  both  rational  and  consistent  to  assume  that  the 


THREE  YEARS  AT  SHOAL-WATER  BAY. 


207 


Creator  placed  the  Red  race  on  the  American  continent 
as  early  as  he  created  the  beasts  and  reptiles  that  inhabit 
it.  In  Nott  and  Gliddon's  Types  of  Mankind,  chapter 
ix.,  on  the  Aboriginal  Races  of  America,  may  be  found 
the  following  extracts,  illustrative  of  the  position  taken 
of  the  Red  man  of  America  having  originated  on  this 
continent  instead  of  having  migrated. 

"  The  continent  of  America  is  often  designated  by  the 
appellation  of  the  New  World ;  but  the  researches  of 
modern  geologists  and  archaeologists  have  shown  that 
the  evidences  in  favor  of  a  high  antiquity,  during  our 
geological  epoch,  as  well  as  for  fauna  and  flora,  are,  to 
say  the  least,  quite  as  great  on  this  as  on  the  Eastern 
hemisphere.  Professor  Agassiz,  whose  authority  will 
hardly  be  questioned  in  matters  of  this  kind,  tells  us  that 
geology  finds  the  oldest  landmarks  here  ;  and  Sir  Charles 
Lyell,  from  a  mass  of  well-digested  facts,  and  from  the 
corroborating  testimony  of  other  good  authorities,  con- 
cludes that  the  Mississippi  River  has  been  running  in  its 
present  bed  for  more  than  one  hundred  thousand  years. 

"Dr.Dowler,  of  New-Orleans,  supplies  some  extraor- 
dinary facts  in  confirmation  of  the  great  age  of  the  Del- 
ta of  the  Mississippi,  assumed  by  Lyell,  Carpenter,  For- 
shey,  and  others.  From  an  investigation  of  the  success- 
ive growths  of  cypress  forests  around  that  city,  the 
stumps  of  which  are  still  found  at  different  depths  di- 
rectly overlying  each  other ;  from  the  great  size  and  age 
of  these  trees,  and  from  the  remains  of  Indian  bones  and 
pottery  found  below  the  roots  of  some  of  these  stumps, 
he  arrives  at  the  following  conclusion :  *  From  these  data 
it  appears  that  the  human  race  existed  in  the  Delta  more 
than  57,000  years  ago,  and  that  ten  subterranean  for- 
ests, and  the  one  now  grov/ing,  will  show  that  an  exu- 
berant flora  existed  in  Louisiana  more  than  100,000  years 
anterior  to  these  evidences  of  man's  existence.' 


(^  .  ■' 


Kyi 


i 


I    •■  • 


!    ■u^K 


.'■.'^■v)4i' 


■  ,     ;•    (;:1 


\: 

■  l^; 

'^fej 

t'-i\ 

r1 

.•9 

>  \ 


208 


THE  NORTHWEST  COAST;   OR, 


"  These  authorities  in  support  of  the  extreme  age  of 
the  geological  era  to  which  man  belongs,  though  start- 
ling to  the  unscientific,  are  not  simply  the  opinions  of 
the  few,  but  such  conclusions  are  subs|;antially  adopted 
by  the  leading  geologists  every  where ;  and  though  an- 
tiquity so  extreme  for  man's  existence  on  earth  may 
sliock  some  preconceived  opinions,  it  is  none  the  less  cer- 
tain that  the  rapid  accumulation  of  new  facts  is  fast  fa- 
miliarizing tho  minds  of  the  scientific  world  to  this  con- 
viction. 

"  The  monuments  of  Egypt  have  already  carried  us 
far  beyond  all  chronologies  heretofore  adopted ;  and  when 
these  barriers  are  once  overleaped,  it  is  in  vain  for  us  to 
attempt  to  approximate  even  to  the  epoch  of  man's  cre- 
ation. 

"  Now  the  question  naturally  springs  up  whether  the 
aborigines  of  America  were  not  contemporary  with  the 
earliest  races  known  to  us  of  the  Eastern  Continent. 

"If,  as  is  conceded,  Caucasian,  Negro,  Mongol,  and 
other  races  existed  in  the  Old  World  already  distinct, 
what  reason  can  be  assigned  to  show  that  the  aborigines 
of  America  did  not  also  exist  5000  years  ago  ?  The 
naturalist  must  infer  that  the  fauna  and  flora  of  the  two 
continents  were  contemporary.  All  facts,  all  analogy 
war  against  the  supposition  that  America  should  have 
been  left  by  the  Creator  a  dreary  waste  for  thousands 
of  years,  while  the  other  half  of  the  world  was  teeming 
with  organized  beings.  This  view  is  also  strengthened 
by  the  acknowledged  fact  that  not  a  single  animal,  bird, 
reptile,  fish,  or  plant  was  common  to  the  Old  and  New 
Worlds.  No  naturalist  of  our  day  doubts  that  the  ani- 
mal and  vegetable  kingdoms  of  America  were  created 
where  they  are  found,  and  not  in  Asia. 

*'  The  races  of  men  alone  have  been  made  an  excep- 
tion to  this  general  law ;  but  this  exception  can  not  be 
maintained  by  any  course  of  scientific  reasoning. 


!<»■' 


THREE  TEARS  AT  SHOAL-WATER  BAY. 


209 


"  America,  it  will  be  remembered,  was  not  only  un- 
known to  the  early  Greeks  and  Romans,  but  to  the 
Egyptians ;  and  when  discovered,  less  than  four  centu- 
ries ago,  it  was  found  to  be  inhabited  from  the  Arctic 
to  Cape  Horn,  and  from  ocean  to  ocean,  by  a  popula- 
tion displaying  peculiar  physical  traits,  unlike  any  races 
in  the  Old  World,  speaking  languages  bearing  no  resem- 
blance in  structure  to  other  languages,  and  living  every 
where  among  animals  and  plants  specifically  distinct 
from  those  of  Europe,  Asia,  Africa,  and  Oceanica. 

"Morton  and  Agassiz  assume  that  all  mankind  did 
not  spring  from  one  pair,  or  even  each  race  from  distinct 
pairs,  but  that  men  were  created  in  nations  in  the  differ- 
ent zoological  provinces  where  history  first  finds  them. 
Niebuhr  also  expresses  the  same  views  in  one  of  his  let- 
ters. (See  Bunsen,  Life  and  Letters  of  B.  S.  Niebuhr. 
New  York,  ed.  1852.)  He  writes :  '  I  believe,  further, 
that  the  origin  of  the  human  race  is  not  connected  with 
any  given  place,  but  is  to  be  sought-  every  where  over 
tlie  face  of  the  earth  ;  and  that  it  is  an  idea  more  worthy 
of  the  power  and  wisdom  of  the  Creator  to  assume  that 
he  gave  to  each  zone  and  climate  its  proper  inhabitants, 
to  whom  that  climate  and  zone  would  be  most  suitable, 
than  to  assume  that  the  human  species  has  degenerated 
in  such  innumerable  instances.' " 

The  limits  of  this  work,  however,  will  not  permit  me 
to  pursue  this  subject  further ;  but  those  who  feel  a  cu- 
riosity and  a  desire  to  pursue  the  investigation,  can  find 
great  assistance  in  the  works  quoted  above.  Future  ex- 
plorers among  the  ruins  of  Central  America  may  find 
among  the  hieroglyphic  writings  of  the  ancient  inhabit- 
ants some  record  or  some  token  which  may  aid  to  unveil 
what  is  to  us  now  an  unfathomable  mystery. 

The  only  accounts  we  have  of  the  tribes  around  the 
mouth  of  the  Columbia  are  those  of  Ross  Cox,  who  does 


n 


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\\ 


210 


THE  NORTHWEST  COAST;   OR, 


I: 


lii 


not  appear  to  have  devoted  much  time  to  the  investiga- 
tion cf  the  subject,  but  treats  it  in  rather  a  flippant  style, 
and  Lewis  and  Clarke's  account.  This  last  is  the  one 
usually  quoted,  but  is  most  singularly  incorrect.  Lewis 
and  Clarke,  however,  have  the  good  sense  to  state  that 
the  short  time  they  remained  at  the  mouth  of  the  Colum- 
bia did  not  enable  them  to  obtain  any  very  reliable  facts 
or  information.  They  write,  "A  particular  detail  of  the 
character,  manners,  and  habits  of  the  tribes  must  be  left 
to  some  future  adventurer,  who  may  have  more  leisure 
and  a  better  opportunity  than  we  had  to  accomplish  this 
object.  Those  who  first  visit  the  ground  can  only  be 
expected  to  furnish  sketches  rude  and  imperfect." 

In  May,  1855,  General  Gibbs,  who  was  connected  with 
Governor  Stevens's  commission  for  treating  with  the  In- 
dians of  Washington  Territory,  wrote  me  for  the  purpose 
of  ascertaining  the  names  of  the  Coast  tribes,  and,  after 
quoting  Lewis  and  Clarke's  account,  adds,  "If  you  can 
puzzle  out  these  names  with  the  assistance  of  the  In- 
dians, I  shall  be  very  glad." 

The  list,  as  made  out  by  Lewis  and  Clarke,  are  the 
Chenooks,  Chilts,  Killaxthokle,  Clamoitomish,  Poto- 
ashees,  Pailsk,  Quinults,  Chillates,  Calasthorle,  Quin- 
nechaut. 

The  names  given  me  by  the  Indians,  and  by  which 
the  tribes  from  the  Columbia  to  Fuca  Strait  are  known, 
are, 

Chenooks,  on  the  Columbia. 

Kar-weeVee,  or  Arts''milsh,  the  name  of  the  Shoal- 
water  Bay  tribes,  which  are  now  nearly  extinct,  and  are 
usually  considered  as  Chenooks. 

Che-ha''lis,  on  Gray's  Harbor  and  Chehalis  River. 

Co-pa''lis,  on  the  Copalis  River,  eighteen  miles  north 
of  Gray's  Harbor. 

Que'ni-ult,  at  Point  Grenville. 


iLiS 


THREE  YEARS  AT   SHOAL-WATER  BAY. 


211 


This  name  is  incorrectly  spelled  by  General  Gibbs  as 
Quinaiutl.  The  Indians  pronounce  tiie  word  as  if 
spelled  Que^ni-ulti  accenting  the  first  syllable  strongly, 
and  pronouncing  the  last  so  soft  that  many  persons  con- 
sider they  call  themselves  simply  Que^nai.  The  ending 
tl  does  not  appear  at  all  in  the  manner  the  Indians  pro- 
nounce the  word.  Next  north  of  the  Queniult  tribe  are 
the  Quai^tso,  then  the  Hooch  or  Hooh,  Que-lai'ult,  and 
Que-nait^sath. 

It  is  a  custom  among  these  tribes  to  name  families 
and  villages  from  the  river  they  may  be  located  on.  In 
this  way  it  is  probable  Lewis  and  Clarke  may  have  mis- 
taken the  names  of  some  of  the  tribes  which  they  have 
mentioned.  The  Indians  of  Shoal-water  Bay  had  no 
distinct  language  of  their  own,  but  used  the  Chenook  or 
Chehalis  promiscuously,  with  the  exception  of  the  tribe 
on  the  WhiPa-pah  River,  who  spoke  a  language  some- 
what resembling  the  Cowlitz.  There  are  two  or  three 
of  the  Whil'a-pah  Indians  still  living  at  Shoal-water 
Bay,  but  the  rest  of  their  tribe  is  all  extinct.  The  oth- 
er names  of  the  Shoal-water  Bay  Indians  were  the  Ne- 
coman^chee  or  Nick''omin,  who  resided  on  a  river  of  that 
name  flowing  into  the  north  side  of  the  Bay. 

The  Que-lap'ton-lilt,  whose  village  was  at  the  mouth 
of  the  Whira-pah  River,  on  the  banks  of  a  creek  whose 
name  they  took,  and  whei'e  at  present  the  house  and 
claim  of  Captain  Charles  Stewart  are. 

The  Whar'hoots  village  occupied  the  present  site  of 
the  town  of  Bruceport,  and  the  Quer^quelin  village  at 
the  mouth  of  the  creek  where  my  house  was. 

The  Palux  Indians,  on  the  Copa'lux  or  Palux  River, 
the  Mar^hoo,  the  Nasal,  and  several  other  villages  on 
the  peninsula  of  little  account. 

The  relics  of  old  lodges,  canoes,  heaps  of  shells,  and 
other  remains,  give  evidence  that  at  some  period  there 


I 


i. 


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,  '4 


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m 


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,-    '1 


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21-2 


THE  NORTHWEST  COAST;    OR, 


I  J 


I, 


! 


must  have  been  a  large  body  of  Indians  around  Shoal- 
water  Bay.  These  deserted  villages  are  to  be  met  with 
all  over  the  coast  portion  of  the  Territory,  and  have  at- 
tracted the  attention  of  the  early  discoverers.  Vancou- 
ver, alluding  to  this  fact,  attributes  it  either  to  the  wan- 
dering disposition  of  the  natives  or  to  sickness,  but 
adds  "  that  it  is  impossible  to  draw  any  just  conclu- 
sions of  the  true  cause  of  this  havoc  among  the  human 
race,  and  it  may  not  be  improbable  to  conjecture  that 
the  depopulation  may  have  arisen  in  some  measure  from 
the  disposition  of  the  Indians  to  move  from  place  to 
place  for  the  purpose  of  trade."  .    ; 

My  opinion  about  the  cause  of  these  deserted  villages 
is  this.  It  is  the  universal  custom  with  these  Indians 
never  to  live  in  a  lodge  where  a  person  has  died.  If  a 
person  of  importance  dies,  the  lodge  is  usually  burned 
down,  or  taken  down  and  removed  to  some  other  part  of 
the  Bay ;  and  it  can  readily  be  seen  that  in  the  case  of 
the  Palux  Indians,  who  had  been  attacked  by  the  Che- 
halis  people,  as  before  stated,  their  relatives  chose  at 
once  to  leave  for  some  other  place.  This  objection  to 
living  in  a  lodge  where  a  person  has  died  is  the  rea- 
son why  their  sick  slaves  are  invariably  carried  out  into 
the  woods,  where  they  remain  either  to  recover  or  die. 
There  is,  however,  no  disputing  the  fact  that  an  immense 
mortality  has  occurred  among  these  people,  and  they  are 
now  reduced  to  a  mere  handful.  The  tribes  of  the  in- 
terior, whether  originally  more  numerous  than  the  Coast 
tribes,  are  vastly  superior  in  point  of  numbers,  and  are 
the  ones  who  have  been  engaged  in  the  late  hostili- 
ties. 

The  great  superstitious  dread  these  Indians  have  for 
a  dead  person,  and  their  horror  of  touching  a  corpse, 
oftentimes  gives  rise  to  difficulty  as  to  who  shall  perform 
the  funeral  ceremonies ;  for  any  person  who  handles  a 


mi 


/1 


THKEE  YEARS  AT  SHOAL-WATER  BAY. 


213 


dead  body  must  not  eat  of  salmon  or  sturgeon  for  thirty- 
days.  Sometimes,  in  cases  of  small-pox,  I  have  known 
them  leave  the  corpse  in  the  lodge,  and  all  remove  else- 
where ;  and  in  two  instances  that  came  to  my  knowl- 
edge, the  whites  had  to  burn  the  lodges,  with  the  bodies 
in  them,  to  prevent  infection.  .     . 

So,  in  the  instances  I  have  before  mentioned,  where 
we  had  buried  Indians,  not  one  of  their  friends  or  rela- 
tives could  be  seen.  All  kept  in  their  lodges,  singing 
and  drumming  to  keep  away  the  spirits  of  the  dead. 

Meares,  writing  of  the  Nootka  Indians,  June,  1788, 
allowed  himself  to  be  so  far  imposed  upon  as  to  assert 
that  the  Nootkans  were  cannibals,  and  states  that  a  chief 
named  Callicum  "  reposed  his  head  every  night  on  a  bag 
filled  with  human  skulls ;"  and  that  the  two  chiefs,  Ma- 
quilla  and  Callicum,  regularly  killed  a  slave  once  a 
month ;  nor  did  they  hesitate  to  confess  that  they  had 
eaten  human  flesh,  and  to  express  their  delight  in  ban- 
queting on  their  fellow-creatures.  Vancouver,  however, 
in  alluding  to  Meares's  statements,  entirely  discredits 
any  such  tale,  and  states  that  "in  May,  1792,  while  in 
Admiralty  Inlet,  he  offered  some  venison  pie  to  the  na- 
tives, who,  conceiving  it  to  be  human  flesh,  threw  it  from 
them  with  the  greatest  aversion  and  displeasure ;  and  it 
was  only  by  showing  the  rest  of  a  haunch  that  remained 
in  the  boat  that  they  were  undeceived,  and  were  willing 
to  eat  of  the  pie."* 

Then,  referring  to  Meares's  statements,  he  remarks, 
"  Were  such  barbarities  practiced  once  a  month  as 
stated,  it  is  but  natural  to  suppose  that  these  natives 
would  not  have  shown  the  least  aversion  to  eating  flesh 

*  It  is  very  possible  that  the  aversion  of  the  Indians  to  Vancouver's 
venison  pie  arose  partly  from  the  pepper  or  other  condiments  contained 
in  it ;  for  an  Indian  can  not  bear  the  least  particle  of  pepper  or  mustard 
in  his  month,  and  it  is  pretty  certain  that  the  old  navigator  would  prob- 
ably have  his  game  pie  well  seasoned. 


i 


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'  1 

m 

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t 

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i'-'si 


214 


THE  NORTHWEST  COAST;   OR, 


l<  I 


of  any  kind ;  but,  on  the  contrary,  it  is  not  possible  to 
conceive  a  greater  degree  of  abhorrence  than  was  mani- 
fested by  these  people,  till  their  minds  were  made  easy 
that  it  was  not  human  flesh  they  were  eating." 

The  Indians  have  a  great  aversion  to  seeing  a  skull, 
and  a  great  dread  of  having  one  in  the  house ;  and  it 
can  not  be  possible  that  one  among  them  could  be  found 
with  the  hardihood  to  sleep  nightly  on  a  bag  filled  with 
skulls. 

One  of  their  superstitions  relating  to  skulls  is  that,  if 
a  lodge  near  the  waters  of  the  Bay  contains  one,  the  wa- 
ter will  gradually  wash  away  the  bank  till  it  reaches  the 
skull,  which  is  then  carried  off  by  the  waves.  I  witness- 
ed a  singular  incident  relative  to  this  superstition.  Dr. 
Cooper,  who  had  been  connected  with  Governor  Ste- 
vens's expedition  across  the  Rocky  Mountains,  and  who 
was  residing  at  Shoal-water  Bay  with  Mr.  Russell,  mak- 
ing collections  of  natural  curiosities,  had  collected  sev- 
eral specimens  of  skulls,  which  were  placed  in  a  box  un- 
der Russell's  house.  The  Indians  predicted  that  the 
house  would  be  washed  away,  and,  sure  enough,  the  en- 
suing winter  the  tide  came  up  so  high  that  it  nearly  cap- 
sized Russell's  house,  and  confirmed  the  Indians  in  the 
belief  of  the  correctness  of  their  predictions. 

From  what  JE  have  seen  of  the  great  and  very  univer- 
sal superstitious  dread  they  have  of  a  dead  body,  I  can 
not  believe  they  ever  could  have  been  cannibals,  although 
the  early  accounts  of  their  ferocity  might  give  some 
ground  to  believe  such  an  assertion.  Still,  those  early 
records  of  voyages  do  not  always  convey  the  whole 
truth ;  and  while  we  are  led  to  believe  the  Indians  were 
at  all  times  of  a  hostile  disposition,  we  are  carefully  kept 
in  the  dark  as  to  whether  imprudence  or  ignorance  on 
the  part  of  the  whites  did  not  occasion  all  the  ill  feeling. 
One  thing  is  certain :  these  Indians  at  the  present  time 


THREE  YEARS  AT  SHOAL-WATER  BAY. 


215 


have  lost  a  great  deal  of  that  alleged  fierceness,  and  I 
have  always  found  them,  wlien  treated  well,  to  be  kind 
and  hospitable. 


'■     ■    ■»» 

:'R 

,'    ►  f 

■^ 

*      .A- 

•M 

te 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

Trip  to  San  Francisco. — Captain  Smith  and  his  Goggles. — ^Wo  get  near- 
ly wrecked  by  reason  of  the  Fog  on  Captain  Smith's  "  Specks." — Ar- 
rive safe  at  last. — Return  to  the  Columbia  in  Steamer  Pcytona. — 
Port  Orford. — Captain  Tichenor. — Cedar  of  Port  Orford. — Mouth  of 
the  Columbia. — Not  so  terrible  as  generally  represented. — Arrival  at 
Astoria. — History  of  Astoria. — Captain  Smith,  of  the  Ship  Albatross. 
— John  Jacob  Astor. — Ship  Tonquin,  Captain  Thome. — Ship  Beaver, 
Captain  Sowles. — Ross  Cox's  Description  of  Astoria. — Loss  of  the 
Tonquin. — Ship  Lark. — Astoria  sold  to  the  Northwest  Company. — 
The  Raccoon  Sloop-of-war. — Brig  Peddler. — Ship  Isaac  Todd  and  her 
Passengers. — First  white  Woman. — Death  of  Mr.  M'Tavish. — Resto- 
ration of  Astoria  to  the  Americans. — H.  B.  M.  Frigate  Blossom  sa- 
lutes the  Flag. — Various  Expeditions,  &c. — First  Emigration. — Jes- 
uits.— Present  Appearance  of  Astoria. — Military  Road,  &c. 

As  it  was  impossible  to  collect  oysters  during  the  win- 
ter season,  I  concluded  to  go  to  San  Francisco  for  a  few 
months,  and,  taking  passage  in  the  schooner  Maryland, 
then  ready  to  sail,  we  left  our  ancliorage  on  the  first  day 
of  January,  1854,  and,  with  a  fair  wind  from  the  north- 
east, put  out  to  sea.  The  captain  of  the  schooner,  whose 
name  was  Smith,  was  a  regular  trading,  swapping,  Down- 
East  Yankee,  a  very  good  navigator  when  he  had  plenty 
of  sea-room,  but  in  close  work  or  running  by  land-marks 
he  was  at  fault.  The  cause  of  this  was  partly  owing  to 
the  fact  of  his  eyesight  being  dim,  and  rendered  still  dim- 
mer by  wearing  green  goggles,  which,  when  covered,  as 
they  often  were,  with  fog,  almost  totally  extinguished 
Captain  Smith's  powers  of  sight. 

We  ran  down  the  coast  with  a  fair  wind  and  fine 
weather  till  we  had  passed  Cape  Mendocino,  the  wind 


r.'! 


>^'>.i 
";#'' 

n 


"4^ 


■-m 


216 


THE  NORTHWEST   COAST;   OR, 


'  "I- 


(:; 


I'  I 


■I' 


having  hauled  in  the  mean  time  into  the  west.  The 
weather  now  began  to  grow  thick  and  foggy,  but,  as  Cap- 
tain Smith  had  what  he  called  a  fair  start,  we  drove 
ahead  with  all  sail  set,  sure  of  running  into  San  Fran- 
cisco before  dark. 

There  is  an  indentation  in  the  coast  a  few  miles  north 
of  tlie  entrance  to  San  Francisco,  called  False  San  Fran- 
cisco, where  several  vessels  and  steamers  have  been  lost. 
In  foggy  weather  this  opening  is  mistaken  for  the  true 
entrance  to  the  harbor,  which  gives  rise  to  the  acci- 
dents. 

Into  this  place  we  were  driving  right  before  the  wind, 
although  the  captain  was  assured  we  were  going  into  the 
wrong  place.  At  length  the  watcli  forward  assured  the 
captain  we  were  going  ashore,  but  he  knew  better.  Fi- 
nally he  acknowledged  that  the  fog  had  settled  on  his 
spectacles  so  that  objects  had  quite  a  vague  and  indis- 
tinct appearance  to  him,  and  he  requested  me  to  take  a 
look,  which  I  did,  and  assured  him  we  were  going  head 
on  to  a  reef  not  more  than  half  a  dozen  lengths  of  the 
schooner  ahead.  Tlie  helm  was  put  down,  and  the  ves- 
sel put  sharp  on  the  wind,  which  had  now  lulled  down 
almost  to  a  calm,  but  there  was  a  heavy  rolling  sea  that 
set  us  in  toward  the  shore.  I  saw  we  were  nearing  a 
point,  and  if  we  kept  on  that  tack  would  go  ashore,  as 
every  sea  threw  us  bodily  to  leeward.  Finally  the  cap- 
tain ordered  the  schooner  to  be  put  on  the  other  tack. 
She  had  just  headway  enough  to  come  about,  although 
it  was  with  the  merest  accident  that  the  jib  filled  on  the 
other  tack ;  but  she  did  get  round,  and  as  we  gathered 
way,  I  could  have  tossed  a  biscuit  on  the  reef  astern, 
and  had  she  missed  stays  we  would  have  been  inevi- 
tably dashed  to  atoms,  for  in  ten  minutes  afterward  the 
wind  came  out  of  the  southwest  and  blew  a  gale.  How- 
ever, we  made  one  tack  inside  the  Farallones,  and  stood 


m 


to 


i,*i 


m 


inbj 

CISCO 

It 

the  la 

erPej 

City, 

Captai 

landed 

procee 

turn,  ( 

a  sever 

they  h 

on  boa 

proceed 

party,  j 

present 

had  nia< 

some  o: 

stateme 

The  I 

much,  i 

tion  tha 

a  variety 

pine,  an 

sandal-v 

Francisc 

ting  thifi 

Francisc 
prices, 
wand,  ai 
eery  sto 
perfume. 
A  plea 
of  the 
crossed  t 


THREE  YEARS  AT  SHOAL-WATER  BAY. 


219 


in  by  Point  Bonita,  and  ran  into  the  harbor  of  San  Fran- 
cisco safe  and  sound. 

I  remained  in  San  Francisco  a  few  months,  and  on 
the  last  of  May  again  started  up  the  coast  in  the  steam- 
er Peytona,  Captain  Sampson.  We  stopped  at  Crescent 
City,  Trinidad,  and  Port  Orford,  where  the  celebrated 
Captain  Tichenor,  formerly  of  the  steamer  Sea-Gull,  had 
landed  a  party  some  fourteen  months  previous,  while  he 
proceeded  on  his  voyage  to  the  Columbia.  On  his  re- 
turn. Captain  Tichenor  found  that  his  party  had  fought 
a  severe  conflict  on  a  cliff  called  Battle  Bock,  from  whence 
they  had  been  driven  by  the  Indians.  Tichenor  took 
on  board  a  small  six-pounder  which  he  had  left,  and 
proceeded  to  San  Francisco,  where  he  obtained  another 
party,  and  effected  a  lodgment,  and  finally  settled  the 
present  flourishing  town  of  Port  Orford.  The  first  party 
had  made  their  way  through  the  forest  and  wilderness  to 
some  of  the  towns  in  Oregon,  where  they  published  a 
statement  of  their  toils  and  privations. 

The  settlement  of  Port  Orford  was  attended  with  as 
much,  if  not  more  difficulty  with  the  Indians  of  that  sec- 
tion than  any  other  settlement  on  the  coast.  There  is 
a  variety  of  cedar  found  at  Port  Orford,  as  white  as  white 
pine,  and  of  a  peculiar  fragrant  smell,  almost  equal  to 
sandal-wood.  Messrs.  Neefus  and  Tichenor,  of  San 
Francisco,  have  a  saw-mill  there  for  the  purpose  of  cut- 
ting this  cedar  into  boards,  which  are  then  sent  to  San 
Francisco,  where  they  meet  with  a  ready  sale  at  high 
prices.  Even  the  saw-dust  from  this  cedar  is  in  de- 
mand, and  is  used  to  strew  the  floors  of  saloons  and  gro- 
cery stores  in  San  Francisco,  where  it  is  prized  for  its 
perfume. 

A  pleasant  run  of  three  days  brought  us  to  the  mouth 
of  the  Columbia,  where,  having  obtained  a  pilot,  we 
crossed  the  bar,  and  found  the  water  as  smooth  as  a  mill- 


'  Irl' 


'n 


m 


."*i 


\^4 


^:^■ 


l1 


i    IJ 


*i    u 


f    n 


220 


THE  NORTHWEST  COAST;   OR, 


pond,  where,  from  all  accounts,  I  had  expected  to  have 
seen  the  most  fearful  breakers.  The  Columbia  River  is 
not  such  an  awftil  place  for  mariners  as  many  writers 
would  make  it  appear.  The  terrors  of  its  bar  are  a  good 
deal  like  the  terrors  of  a  Cape  Horn  passage,  which,  till 
it  was  found  to  the  contrary,  was  considered  one  of  the 
most  appallir'5  voyages  a  mariner  could  make,    v,  , 

The  early  navigators  to  the  Northwest  Coast  were 
looked  upon  when  they  returned  as  great  curiosities,  and 
any  fables  they  might  relate  were  eagerly  swallowed  by 
the  gaping  crowd.  So,  to  prevent  others  from  attempt- 
ing to  interfere  with  their  trade,  and  also  to  magnify  the 
dangers  themselves  had  passed,  those  ancient  mariners 
were  wont  to  tell  of  tales  that,  if  true,  were  enough  to  \ 
deter  the  stoutest-hearted  from  going  the  dread  voyage 
around  Cape  Horn,  and  over  the  horrid  breakers  at  the 
Columbia's  mouth.  "  - 

But  when  the  gold  discoveries  of  California  induced 
men  to  send  to  sea  old  rotten  hulks,  that  were  ready  to 
be  condemned  at  New  York  or  Boston,  and  when  it  was 
seen  that  those  old  vessels  all  doubled  the  Cape  in  safe- 
ty, people  found  that  the  actual  danger  had  been  greatly 
exaggerated.  .^:t#.r^ 

And  so  with  the  Columbia ;  when  people  began  to  get 
acquainted  with  the  navigation,  they  no  longer  feared. 
There  are  many  captains  who  have  always  been  accus- 
tomed to  sail  to  and  from  ports  where  there  was  no  bar 
or  dangerous  breakers,  and  such  would  always  cry  out 
aiK)ut  the  dangers  of  the  Columbia ;  but  I  have  never 
seen  a  man  accustomed  to  the  coasting-trade  of  the  At- 
lantic who  considered  the  entrance  to  the  Columbia  any 
moie  dangerous,  if  as  much  so,  as  some  of  the  harbors 
on  the  Atlantic.  .       .  .     . 

I  do  not  rhean  to  be  understood  as  stating  that  there 
are  no  dangers  on  the  Columbia  bar.     On  the  contrary, 


0  have 

liver  is 

writers 

a  good 

Lch,  till 
i  of  the 

it  were 
ies,  and 
wed  by 
.ttempt- 
aify  the 
lariners 
ough  to  \ 
voyage 
s  at  the 

induced 
ready  to 

1  it  was 
in  safe- 
greatly 

■U  ■■'*■*■ 

kn  to  get 

feared. 

accus- 

no  bar 

cry  out 

\e  never 

the  At- 

ibia  any 

harbors 

at  there 
ontrary, 


'!  i 


!   ( 


i   t^ 


■H  ■■  ■ 

i 

THREE  YEABS  AT  SHOAI/-WATER  BAY. 


223 


1 .  '-'^I 


there  are  times  when  there  is  a  very  heavy  sea  breaking 
4here;  but  I  mean  that  the  real  danger  is  not  so  great 
as  has  been  represented. 

It  was  about  sundown  when  we  arrived  off  the  wharf 
where  the  steamer  was  to  stop  to  send  such  passengers 
ashore  as  intended  stopping,  and,  with  two  or  three  oth- 
ers, I  clambered  into  the  boat,  and  in  a  few  minutes  was 
landed  on  the  shores  of  the  town  of  Astoria.  ^  ^  ;  - :? 
-  The  account  of  the  settlement  of  Astoria  given  by 
Greenhow  being  the  most  concise,  I  shall  quote  from 
that  work,  and  give  a  short  history  of  that  famous  I'ttle 
town,  which  is  familiarly  known  by  name  to  almost  ev- 
ery one  in  the  United  States^  and  certainly  deserves  to 
be  a  much  larger  settlement  than  it  is  at  present.  It  is 
most  admirably  located  for  business,  being  directly  at 
the  mouth  of  the  largest  river  running  into  the  Pacific, 
and  is  sure,  when  the  country  increases  in  population, 
and  consequently  in  trade,  to  be  a  place  of  great  import- 
ance to  the  Territory  of  Oregon. 

During  the  year  1810,  Captain  Smith,  commander  of 
the  ship  Albatross,  attempted  to  found  a  post  for  trade 
with  the  Indians  at  a  place  called  Oak  Point,  on  the 
south  bank  of  the  Columbia,  about  forty  miles  from  its 
mouth.  For  this  purpose  a  house  wrs  built,  and  a  gar- 
den laid  out  and  planted  there ;  but  the  site  was  badly 
chosen  in  all  respects,  and  the  scheme  was  abandoned 
before  the  close  of  the  year. 

In  the  same  year  an  association  was  formed  at  New 
York  for  the  prosecution  of  the  fur  trade  in  the  central 
and  northwestern  parts  of  the  continent  in  connection 
with  the  China  trade.  This  association  was  called  the 
Pacific  Fur  Company^  and  at  its  head  was  John  Jacob 
Astor,  a  German  merchant  of  New  York,  who  had  been 
for  many  years  extensively  engaged  in  the  commeice  of 
the  Pacific  and  China,  v.tm c    :  n.  ^  =  -    t  ::ai 


l'i\ 


I  a 


s  ■ 


is 

''''91 

'- 

'rc^ 

•'    1  % 

\"f. 

1'^ 

\       ■;. 

^  -k 

-M 

-,. 

1  !■'' 

»'^iil 

-M 


ii  a 


t 

' 

f 

1 

, 

i|| 

^- 

\ 

•1 

1 

i 

4 


224 


THE  NORTHWEST  COAST;   OR, 


His  object  was  to  concentrate  in  the  hands  of  the 
company  the  fur  trade  of  every  part  of  the  unsettled  ter- 
ritory of  America  claimed  by  the  United  States.  '. 

Posts  were  to  be  established  on  the  Missouri,  the 
Columbia,  and  the  coasts  of  the  Pacific  contiguous  to 
the  latter  river.  For  the  purposes  of  this  expedition, 
one  party  was  to  proceed  across  the  land,  while  another 
detachment  was  to  proceed  by  sea  around  Cape  Horn. 
Mr.  Astor  had  a?  :eady,  in  1809,  dispatched  the  ship  En- 
terprise, under  Captain  Ebbetts,  to  make  observations  at 
various  places  on  the  Northwest  Coasts  of  America,  and 
to  prepare  the  way  for  the  new  establishments. 

The  preparations  for  commencing  the  enterprise  havw 
ing  been  completed,  four  of  the  partners,  M*Kay,  M'Dou- 
gal,  David  Stuart,  Bobert  Stuart,  with  eleven  clerks, 
thirteen  Canadian  voyageursy  and  five  mechanics,  all 
British  subjects,  took  their  departure  from  New  York 
for  the  mouth  of  the  Columbia  Biver  in  September,  1810, 
in  the  ship  Tonquin,  commanded  by  Captain  Jonathan 
Thome.  In  January  following,  the  second  detachment, 
commanded  by  Mr.  Hunt,  the  chief  agent,  and  Messrs. 
M'Lellan,  M'Kenzie,  and  Crooks,  set  out  for  the  same 
point  by  way  of  the  Missouri  River ;  and  in  October, 
1811,  the  ship  Beaver,  under  Captain  Sowles,  carried 
out  from  New  York  to  the  North  Pacific  Mr.  Clark,  with 
six  clerks  and  a  number  of  other  persons. 

On  the  24th  of  March  the  Tonquin  arrived  at  the 
Columbia,  which  she  entered  with  difficulty,  after  losing 
thrca  of  her  men,  whom  Captain  Thome  foolishly  sent 
out  in  a  boat  to  sound  the  channel.  The  ship  came  to 
..nchor  in  Baker^s  Bay,  just  within  Cape  Disappoint- 
ment, where  the  passengers  were  landed,  and  sheds  were 
built  for  their  temporary  accommodation.  A  few  days 
afterward  the  partners  set  off  in  search  of  a  place  suitable 
for  the  establishment  of  a  factory,  and  they  soon  selected 


f*! 


THREE  YEARS  AT  SHOAL-WATER  BAT. 


225 


for  that  object  a  spot  on  the  south  bank  of  the  river, 
distant  about  ten  miles  from  the  ocean,  which  had  re- 
ceived from  Broughton,  in  1792,  the  name  of  Point 
George. 

To  this  place  the  Tonquin  was  removed,  and  having 
landed  her  passengers  and  such  part  of  the  cargo  as  was 
intended  for  the  establishment,  sailed  on  the  5th  of  June 
for  the  Northern  Coast,  taking  Mr.  M'Kay,  who  was  to 
conduct  the  trade,  Mr.  Lewis,  one  of  the  clerks,  and  an 
Indian  as  an  interpreter. 

During  the  ensuing  summer  much  progresp  was  made 
in  the  building  of  the  factory,  which,  in  honor  of  its 
founder,  was  named  Astoria. 

On  the  5th  of  May,  1812,  the  ship  Beaver,  command- 
ed by  Captain  Sowles,  arrived  in  the  Columbia  from 
New  York,  bringing  a  third  detachment  of  persons  in 
the  service  of  the  Pacific  Company,  under  the  direction 
of  Mr.  Clarke,  and  twenty-six  natives  of  the  Sandwich 
Islands.  Ross  Cox,  who  arrived  in  the  Beaver,  gives 
the  following  account  of  Astoria  as  it  thin  appeared : 

"  The  spot  selected  for  the  fort  (Astoria)  was  a  hand- 
some eminence,  called  Point  George,  which  commandt  I 
an  extensive  view  of  the  majestic  Columbia  in  front, 
bounded  by  the  bold  and  thickly-wooded  northern  shore. 

"  On  the  right,  about  three  miles  distant,  a  long,  high, 
and  rocky  peninsula,  covered  with  timber,  called  Tongue 
Point,  extended  a  considerable  distance  into  the  river 
from  the  southern  side,  with  which  it  was  connected  by 
a  narrow  neck  of  land,  while  on  the  extreme  left.  Cape 
Disappointment,  with  the  bar  and  its  terrific  chain  of 
breakers,  were  distinctly  visible.  The  buildings  consist- 
ed of  apartments  for  the  proprietors  and  clerks,  with  a 
capacious  dining-hall  for  both ;  extensive  warehouses  for 
the  trading  goods  and  furs,  a  provision  store,  a  trading- 
shop,  smith's  forge,  carpenter's  shop,  &c.,  the  whole  sur- 

K2 


A^;l 


i-'<'l 


M 


,       V'":       '3    1 


m 


m 


m 


M 


;*'■■■ 


226 


THE  NORTHWEST  COAST;    OR, 


Hit 

i  '! 


■i; 


rounded  by  stockades,  forming  a  square,  and  reaching 
about  .fifteen  feet  above  the  ground.  A  gallery  ran 
around  the  stockades,  in  which  loop-holes  were  placed 
sufficiently  large  for  musketry.  Two  strong  bastions, 
built  of  logs,  commanded  the  four  sides  of  the  square ; 
each  bastion  had  two  stories,  in  which  a  number  of 
chosen  men  slept  every  nigRt ;  a  six-pounder  was  placed 
in  the  lower  story  of  each,  and  they  were  both  well  pro- 
vided with  small-arms.  Immediately  in  front  of  the  fort 
was  a  gentle  declivity,  sloping  down  to  the  river'3  side, 
which  had  been  turned  into  an  excellent  kitchen  garden ; 
and  a  few  hundred  rods  to  the  left,  a  tolerable  wharf  had 
been  run  out,  by  which  boats  and  batteaux  were  enabled 
to  land  their  cargoes  at  low  water  without  sustaining  any 
damage. 

"  An  impenetrable  forest  of  gigantic  pines  rose  in  the 
rear,  and  the  ground  was  covered  with  a  thick  under- 
wood of  brier  and  whortleberry,  intermingled  with  fern 
and  honeysuckle." 

The  Beaver  also  brought  a  letter  from  Owyhee  that 
had  been  left  there  by  Captain  Ebbetts,  of  the  ship  En- 
terprise, containing  positive  information  of  the  destruc- 
tion of  the  Tonquin  and  her  crew  by  the  savages  on  the 
Coast,  near  the  Straits  of  Fuca.  The  particulars  of  this 
melancholy  affair  were  afterward  brought  by  the  Indian 
who  had  gone  in  the  Tonquin  as  interpreter,  and  who 
was  the  only  survivor  of  those  who  had  gone  in  the  ill- 
fated  ship. 

The  Tonquin,  it  appears,  anchored  in  the  middle  of 
June,  1811,  opposite  a  village  on  the  Bay  of  Clyoquot, 
near  the  Straits  of  Fuca.  Captain  Thorne,  who  is  rep- 
resented to  have  been  totally  unfxted  to  trade  with  the 
Indians,  had  given  a  mortal  affront  to  one  of  the  chiefs 
by  slapping  him  in  the  face  with  an  otter-skin  he  was 
offering  for  sale.     The  Indians  seized  the  opportunity 


.-  iiiL. 


THREE  YEABS  AT  SHOAL-WATER  BAT. 


227 


when  the  men  were  busily  engaged  about  their  duties  on 
board  the  ship  to  get  possession  of  her,  and  put  to  death 
every  one  of  the  crew  and  passengers  except  the  inter- 
preter, the  clerk,  Mr.  Lewis,  and  five  or  six  sailors.  The 
interpreter  was  saved  by  leaping  into  a  canoe  where 
there  were  some  women,  who  concealed  him.  Four  of 
the  men  managed  to  leave  in  the  boat  during  the  night, 
but  were  taken  by  the  savages,  and  murdered  in  the 
most  cruel  manner.  The  following  day,  while  the  ship 
was  crowded  with  Indians,  she  was  blown  up  by  Mr. 
Lewis,  as  was  supposed,  killing  by  the  explosion  a  great 
number  of  the  savages. 

The  loss  of  the  Tonquin  was  a  severe  blow  to  the  Pa- 
cific Company ;  and  it  was  determined  that  Mr.  Hunt 
should  embark  in  the  Beaver,  and  proceed  north  to  trade 
and  visit  the  Russian  establishments,  as  Mr.  M^Kay 
would  have  done  but  for  the  destruction  of  the  Tonquin. 
He  accordingly  sailed  in  the  Beaver  in  August,  1812, 
leaving  the  superintendence  of  the  factory  in  the  hands 
ofMr.M'Dougal. 

It  was  not  till  January,  1813,  that  they  learned  of 
the  war  between  the  United  States  and  Great  Britain ; 
and  the  gloom  caused  by  this  information  was  increased 
by  the  report  that  the  Beaver  was  lying  in  Canton  block- 
aded by  a  British  ship  of  war.  And  soon  after,  Messrs. 
M*Tavish  and  Laroque,  partners  in  the  Northwest  Com- 
pany, arrived  near  Astoria,  bringing  accounts  of  the  suc- 
cess of  the  British  arms  on  the  northern  frontiers  of  the 
United  States. 

With  these  facts  before  them,  it  was  decided  by 
M'Dougal  and  M*Kenzie  that  the  company  should  be 
dissolved  on  the  first  of  July. 

From  the  United  States  no  assistance  came.  Th? 
ship  Lark  was  dispatched  from  New  York  in  March> 
1813,  with  men  and  goods  for  the  Columbia,  but  she  was 


U:»| 


f.    ',1 


■J.M 


s-.f -'I 


*   itf-t 


Wl 


I    :! 


Hii 


!'• 


M 


228 


THE  NORTHWEST  COAST;    OR, 


wrecked  the  October  following  neax  one  of  the  Sandwich 
Islands. 

The  American  government  also  had  determined,  in 
consequence  of  the  representations  of  Mr.  Astor,  to  send 
the  sloop-of-war  John  Adams  for  the  protection  of  the 
infant  colony ;  but,  just  as  the  vessel  was  about  to  sail 
from  New  York,  it  became  necessary  to  transfer  her  crew 
to  Lake  Ontario. 

In  the  mean  time,  Mr.  Hunt,  who  had  sailed  from  the 
Columbia  in  the  Beaver,  as  already  mentioned,  had  pro- 
ceeded to  the  Russian  settlements  at  the  North,  where 
he  had  procured  a  large  quantity  of  furs,  and  then  had 
proceeded  direct  to  the  Sandwich  Islands  instead  of  re- 
turning to  the  Columbia,  and,  having  directed  Captain 
Sowles  to  proceed  to  Canton,  chartered  the  ship  Alba- 
tross, of  Boston,  which  had  jast  arri\ed  at  Woahoo  from 
Canton,  and  proceeded  in  her  to  the  Columbia,  where  he 
arrived  on  the  fourth  of  August ;  but,  finding  the  condi- 
tion of  affairs,  he  immediately  sailed  in  the  Albatross  for 
the  Sandwich  Islands  in  search  of  some  vessel  to  take 
off  the  property  of  the  Pacific  Company  from  the  Colum- 
bia. On  his  arrival  he  chartered  a  small  brig,  called  the 
Peddler,  and  sailed  in  her  for  Astoria,  where  he  arrived  in 
February,  1814 ;  but  before  the  Peddler  arrived  the  fate 
of  Astoria  had  been  decided. 

A  few  days  after  Hunt  had  sailed  in  the  Albatross, 
Mr.  M*Tavish  and  his  followers  of  the  Northwest  Com- 
pany again  appeared  at  Astoria,  and  gave  information 
that  a  ship,  called  the  Isaac  Todd,  had  sailed  from  Lon- 
don with  a  full  cargo  for  the  Columbia,  and  was  daily 
expected  under  convoy  of  a  British  squadron,  who  had 
orders  to  take  and  destroy  every  thing  American  on  the 
Northwest  Coast.  M*Dougal  and  M*Kenzie  then  con- 
cluded to  sell  out  the  whole  establishment  to  the  North- 
west Company,  and  an  agreement  was  made  on  October 


ilit 


THREE  YEARS  AT  SHOAL-WATER  BAT. 


229 


16th,  1813,  between  M'Trtvish  and  Stuart  on  one  part, 
and  M*Dougal,  M'Kenzie,  and  Clarke  on  the  other,  for 
the  conveyance  of  the  property,  which  was  signed  and 
conveyed  that  day  for  the  sura  of  about  fifty-eight  thou- 
sand dollars. 

Just  after  this  transfer  had  been  made,  the  sloop-of- 
war  Kaccoon,  commanded  by  Captain  Black,  arrived  in 
the  river,  having  been  sent  there  by  Commodore  Hill- 
yer  from  the  South  Pacific  to  take  possession  of  all  the 
American  forts  and  property  on  the  Columbia. 

Captain  Black  was  intensely  disgusted  at  finding  the 
state  of  affairs,  and  had  to  content  himself  by  hauling 
down  the  American  colors  and  hoisting  the  English  col- 
ors instead,  and  then,  with  all  solemnity  and  proper  for- 
mality, changed  the  name  of  the  establishment  to  I'ort 
George. 

The  brig  Peddler  arrived  at  the  Columbia,  as  before 
said,  on  the  28th  of  February,  1814,  and  Mr.  Hunt  found 
M*Dougal  superintending  the  factory,  not  as  chief  agent 
of  the  Pacific  Company,  but  as  partner  of  the  Northwest 
Company,  into  which  he  had  been  admitted.  Hunt  had, 
therefore,  merely  to  close  the  concerns  of  the  American 
Association  in  that  quarter,  and  take  bills  on  Montreal 
given  in  payment  for  its  effects,  after  which  he  embarked 
in  the  Peddler  with  two  of  the  clerks,  and  proceeded,  by 
way  of  Canton  and  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope,  to  New 
York.  Such  was  the  termination  of  the  Astoria  enter- 
prise. 

The  Isaac  Todd  reached  Fort  George  on  the  17th  of 
April,  1814,  thirteen  months  after  her  departure  from 
England,  bringing  a  large  stock  of  supplies,  by  the  aid 
of  which  the  partners  of  the  Northwest  Company  were 
enabled  to  establish  themselves  more  firmly  in  the  coun- 
try. 
V  The  Isaac  Todd  brought  out  as  passengers  John 


"v'ol 


n 


r  =,..  ^i 


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liil 


ii: 


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I  ! 


iili 


230 


THE  NORTHWEST  COAST;    OR, 


M'Tavish  and  John  M*Donald,  proprietors ;  Alexander 
and  James  M*Tavish,  Alexander  Frazer  and  Alexander 
M'Kenzie,  clerks,  with  Dr.  Swan,  a  medical  gentleman, 
engaged  as  a  resident  physician  at  the  fort. 

**  She  also  brought  out,"  says  Ross  Cox,  *♦  the  first 
white  woman  who  ever  entered  the  Columbia  River,  Miss 
Jane  Barnes,  a  fiaxen-haired,  blue-eyed  daughter  of  Al- 
bion, who,  in  a  fit  of  erratic  enthusiasm,  had  consented 
to  accompany  one  of  the  Macs  as  cornpagnon  du  voyage. 
She  was  very  fond  of  displaying  herself  to  the  savages 
arrayed  in  all  the  latest  English  styles  of  fashion,  and 
had  attracted  the  admiration  of  a  son  of  Comcomly,  the 
principal  chief  of  the  Chenooks,  who  fell  in  love  with  her 
and  wanted  to  marry  her.  He  offered  to  give  her  friends 
one  hundred  sea-otter  skins,  which  was  a  very  high 
price ;  but  Miss  Jane  could  not  forget  her  old  ideas  and 
predilections  respecting  mankind,  among  which  she  did 
not  include  a  flat  head,  a  half-naked  body,  or  a  copper- 
colored  skin  besmeared  with  whale  oil." 

"Early  in  June,  1813,"  writes  Cox,  "Mr.  Donald 
M*Tavish,  one  of  the  oldest  and  earliest  proprietors  of 
the  Northwest  Fur  Company,  was  drowned  while  at- 
tempting to  cross  the  Columbia  in  a  boat.  His  remains, 
with  those  of  four  men  who  were  drowned  at  the  same 
time,  were  interred  behind  the  northeast  bastion  of  Fort 
George." 

The  capture  of  Astoria  by  the  British,  and  the  trans- 
fer of  the  Pacific  Company's  establishments  on  the  Co- 
lumbia to  the  Northwest  Company,  were  not  known  to 
the  plenipotentiaries  of  the  Unite4  States  at  Ghent  or 
the  24th  of  December,  1814,  when  they  signed  the  treaty 
of  peace  between  their  country  and  Great  Britain. 

It  was  nevertheless  agreed,  in  the  first  article  of  the 
treaty  of  Ghent,  that  ^^all  territory,  places,  and  posses- 
sions whatsoever,  taken  by  either  party  during  the  war. 


~    '1 11 1 


r 


THREE  TEARS  AT  SHOAL-WATER  BAT.  231 

or  which  may  be  taken  after  the  signing  of  this  treaty, 
excepting  only  the  islands  hereinafter  mentioned  (in  the 
Bay  of  Fundy),  shall  be  restored  without  delay.'''' 

In  virtue  of  this  article,  Mr.  Monroe,  then  Secretary 
of  State  of  the  United  States,  on  the  18th  of  May,  1815, 
a  mounced  to  Mr.  Baker,  the  charge  d'a^aires  of  Great 
Britain  at  Washington,  that  the  President  intended  im- 
mediately to  reoccupy  the  post  at  the  mouth  of  the  Co- 
lumbia ;  but  no  measures  were  adopted  for  the  purpose 
till  September,  1817,  when  Captain  J.  Biddle,  command- 
ing the  sloop-of-war  Ontario,  and  Mr.  J.  B.  Prevost,  were 
jointly  commissioned  to  proceed  in  that  ship  to  the 
mouth  of  the  Columbia,  and  then  to  assert  the  claim  of 
the  United  States  to  the  sovereignty  of  the  adjacent 
country  in  a  friendly  and  peaceable  manner,  and  with- 
out the  employment  of  force.  After  a  little  demur  on 
the  part  of  the  British  government,  Lord  Castlereagh, 
the  British  Secretary  for  Foreign  Affairs,  finally,  on  the 
claim  being  urged  by  Mr.  Rush,  the  American  minister 
at  London,  admitted  the  right  of  the  Americans  to  be  re- 
instated, and  it  was  finally  agreed  that  the  post  should 
be  restored  to  them ;  and  accordingly,  orders  were  issued 
by  Lord  Bathurst,  the  British  Colonial  Secretary,  to  the 
agents  of  the  Northwest  Company  at  the  mouth  of  the 
Columbia,  directing  them  to  afford  due  facilities  for  the 
reoccupation  of  the  post  by  the  Americans.  An  order 
was  at  the  same  time  issued  from  the  Admiralty  to  the 
same  effect,  to  the  commander  of  the  British  naval  forces 
in  the  Pacific. 

The  Ontario  arrived  at  Valparaiso  in  February,  1818, 
where,  Mr.  Prevost  having  to  transact  some  business  for 
his  government,  it  was  agreed  between  the  commission- 
ers that  he  should  remain,  while  Captain  Biddle  should 
proceed  to  the  Columbia  in  the  Ontario,  which  he  did, 
and  on  the  9th  of  August  took  temporary  possession  of 


V 


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232 


THE  NORTHWEST  COAST;   OR, 


lilK 


\m 


If  >t 


the  country  on  that  river  in  the  name  of  the  United 
States,  after  which  he  returned  to  the  South  Pacific. 

In  the  mean  time,  Captain  Sheriff,  the  senior  officer  of 
the  British  ships  in  the  Pacific,  having  received  instruc- 
tions from  Commodore  Bowles,  the  British  naval  com- 
mander of  the  forces  in  the  South  Seas,  informed  Mr. 
Prevost,  and  offered  him  a  passage  to  the  Columbia  for 
the  purpose  of  completing  the  business.  He  according- 
ly accepted  the  offer,  and  proceeded  to  the  Columbia  in 
the  British  frigate  Blossom,  where  he  arrived  in  the  be- 
ginning of  October,  1818. 

On  the  6th  of  the  month,  Captain  Hickey,  command- 
er of  the  Blossom,  and  Mr.  Keith,  the  superintending 
partner  of  the  Northwest  Company,  as  joint  commission- 
ers on  the  part  of  Great  Britain,  exchanged  with  Mr. 
Prevost  docrments  setting  forth  the  facts  of  the  restora- 
tion of  the  territory  on  the  one  part,  and  the  acceptance 
of  the  settlement  for  his  government  on  the  other.  The 
British  flag  was  then  formally  lowered,  and  that  of  the 
United  States,  having  been  hoisted  in  its  stead  over  the 
fort,  was  saluted  by  the  Blossom.  Thus  was  Fort  As- 
toria once  more  under  the  American  flag.  But  the  Brit- 
ish traders  continued  to  occupy  the  post,  and  carry  on 
their  operations  the  same  as  previous  to  the  change  of 
flags. 

A  good  deal  of  enmity  had  subsisted  between  the 
Northwest  and  Hudson's  Bay  Companies,  which  was 
only  displayed  in  words,  or  in  the  commission  of  petty 
acts  of  injury  or  annoyance  to  each  other  till  1814,  when 
a  regular  war  broke  out  between  them,  and  on  the  19th 
of  June,  1816,  a  battle  was  fought  between  the  North- 
west people  and  some  Scotch  settlers  on  Bed  River  at  a 
place  called  Ossinobia^  when  the  latter  were  routed,  hav- 
ing seventeen  of  their  number,  including  their  governor, 
Mr.  Semple,  killed. 


THRKB  TEARS  AT  SROAL-WATER  BAT. 


233 


These  troubles  were  brought  before  the  British  Par- 
liament in  June,  1819,  and,  after  a  long  debate,  in  which 
the  merits  of  both  companies  were  discussed,  an  act  was 
passed  effecting  a  union  between  the  two  rival  compa- 
nies, and  in  1824,  the  Northwest  Company  having  sur- 
rendered its  rights,  and  possessions,  and  interests  to  the 
Hudson's  Bay  Company,  all  the  operations  were  thence- 
forward conducted  in  the  name  of  that  company  alone. 

Great  efforts  were  now  made  and  vast  expenses  in- 
curred by  this  company  to  found  settlements  on  the  Co- 
lumbia Eiver,  and  to  acquire  influence  over  the  natives 
of  the  surrounding  country;  and  so  successful  were  those 
efforts,  that  the  citizens  of  the  United  States  not  only  re- 
nounced all  ideas  of  renewing  their  establishments  in 
that  part  of  America,  but  even  withdrew  their  vessels 
from  its  coasts ;  and  for  more  than  ten  years  after  the 
capture  of  Astoria  by  the  British,  scarcely  an  American 
citizen  was  to  be  seen  in  those  countries.  Trading  ex- 
peditions were  indeed  made  from  the  Missouri  to  the 
head-waters  of  the  Platte  and  Colorado,  but  the  Ameri- 
cans had  no  settlement  of  any  kind,  and  their  govern- 
ment exercised  no  jurisdiction  whatever  west  of  the 
Rocky  Mountains. 

The  first  attempt  to  re-establish  commercial  communi- 
cation between  the  United  States  and  the  territories 
west  of  the  Rocky  Mountainij  was  made  by  General 
W.  H.  Ashley,  of  St.  Louis,  Missouri,  in  *he  spring  of 
1823.  His  explorations  and  expeditions,  however,  were 
confined  to  Southern  Oregon  and  California;  but, unfor- 
tunately, they  made  no  astronomical  observations ;  and, 
being  unacquainted  with  any  branch  of  physical  science, 
very  little  information  has  been  derived  through  their 
means. 

In  1827,  Mr.  Pilcher  went  from  Council  Bluffs,  on  the 
Missouri,  with  forty-five  men  and  more  than  one  hund- 


¥ 


%4-. 


234 


THE  NORTHWEST  COAST;    OB, 


I   i! 


"!'!i 


ill! 


red  horses,  and  spent  the  winter  on  the  Colorado.  The 
following  year  he  proceeded  to  Louis's  Biver,  and  thence 
northward,  along  the  foot  of  the  Rocky  Mountains,  to 
the  Flat  Head  Lake,  near  the  47th  parallel  of  latitude. 
Here  he  remained  till  the  spring  of  1829,  when  he  de- 
scended the  Clarke  River  to  Fort  Colville,  on  the  Colum- 
bia, and  from  thence  he  returned  to  the  United  States 
through  the  long  and  circuitous  route  of  the  Upper  Co- 
lumbia, the  Athabasca,  the  Assinaboin,  Red  River,  and 
the  Upper  Missouri.  ; 

In  1832,  Captain  Bonneville,  of  the  army  of  the  United 
States,  while  on  a  furlough,  led  a  band  of  more  than  a 
hundred  men,  with  twenty  wagons,  and  many  horses  and 
mules  carrying  merchandise.,  from  Missouri  to  the  coun- 
tries of  the  Colorado  and  the  Columbia,  in  which  he 
passed  more  than  two  years,  engaged  in  hunting,  trap- 
ping, and  trading.  About  the  same  time  (1832),  Captain 
Nathaniel  Wyeth,  of  Massachusetts,  endeavored  to  es- 
tablish a  system  of  commercial  intercourse  between  the 
Union  and  the  countries  of  the  Columbia,  to  which  the 
general  name  of  Oregon  now  began  to  be  universally 
applied  by  the  Americans.  Captain  Wyeth's  plan  of 
operation  was  like  that  of  Mr.  Astor  in  1810,  which  was 
to  isend  manufactured  goods  to  the  Pacific  countries  by 
means  of  overland  expeditions,  and  also  by  the  way  of 
Cape  Horn,  and  to  transport  in  exchange  furs,  and  even 
salmon,  which  abound  in  all  the  waters  of  Northwest 
America,  and  to  extend  his  trade  to  China. 

With  these  objects  in  view,  he  made  two  expeditions 
overland  to  the  Columbia,  in  the  latter  of  which  he 
founded  a  trading-post,  called  Fort  Hall,  on  the  south 
side  of  the  Snake  River,  or  the  Lewis  branch  of  that 
river,  at  the  entrance  of  the  Port  Neuf,  about  a  hundred 
miles  north  of  the  Utah  Lake ;  and  he  then  established 
imother  post,  principally  for  fishing  purposes,  on  Wap- 


THREE  YEAES  AT  SHOAL-WATEE  BAY. 


235 


patoo  Island,  near  the  confluence  of  the  Willamec  Biver 
with  the  Columbia,  a  hundred  miles  above  the  mouth  of 
the  latter. 

Wyeth's  plans,  however,  were  not  successful ;  for  the 
Hudson  Bay  Company  agents,  taking  the  alarm,  founded 
a  counter  trading-post,  called  Fort  Boise,  at  the  entrance 
of  the  Bois6,  or  Eead^s  River,  into  the  Lewis,  some  dis- 
tance below  Fort  Hall,  where  they  offered  goods  to  the 
Indians  at  prices  so  much  lower  than  the  Americans 
could  afford,  that  Wyeth  was  driven  out  of  the  market, 
and  was  forced  to  compromise  with  his  opponents  by 
selling  his  fort  and  engaging  to  desist  from  the  fur  trade. 

Meanwhile  a  brig,  which  he  had  dispatched  from  Bos- 
ton, arrived  in  the  Columbia,  and  proceeded  to  Wrppatoo 
Island,  where,  after  making  some  further  arrangements 
with  the  Hudson  Bay  Company,  she  returned  to  the 
United  States,  taking  a  cargo  of  salmon.  But,  the  r&> 
suit  of  the  voyage  not  being  very  profitable,  a  further 
prosecution  of  the  enterprise  was  abandoned. 

The  prices  of  articles  of  trade  were  nominally  high,  as 
every  thing  was  exchanged  in  barter  for  furs,  there  being 
no  money  among  the  hunters,  trappers,  or  traders ;  and 
in  a  price-current  at  a  rendezvous  on  the  Green  River 
in  the  summer  of  1838,  we  find  whisky  at  three  dollars 
per  pint,  gunpowder  at  six  dollars  per  pint,  tobacco  at 
five  dollars  per  pound,  dogs  (for  food)  at  fifteen  dollars 
each,  &c. 

About  the  time  of  Wyeth's  expedition  also  took  place 
the  earliest  emigration  to  the  territories  of  the  Columbia 
for  the  purpose  of  settlement,  without  any  commercial 
objects.  The  first  of  these  colonies  were  founded  in 
1834,  in  the  valley  of  the  Willamet  River,  in  which  a 
few  retired  servants  of  the  Hudson  Bay  Company  had 
established  themselves  by  permission  of  that  body,  and 
were  engaged  in  herding  cattle.    **  The  Americans,"  says 


'    ■■■'  '  .       .L*V  J 


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236 


THE  NORTHWEST  COAST;    OR, 


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Greenhow, "  who  first  settled  there,  were  mostly  Method- 
ists, under  direction  of  ministers  of  their  own  sect ;  and 
colonies  of  Presbyterians  or  Congregationalists  were  aft- 
erward planted  in  the  Walla  Walla  and  Spokan  coun- 
tries. 

"  In  these  places  schools  for  the  education  of  the  na- 
tives were  opened,  and  in  1839  a  printing-press  was  first 
set  up  at  Walla  Walla,  on  which  were  struck  off  the  first 
sheets  ever  printed  on  the  Pacific  side  of  America,  north 
of  Mexico."  The  Jesuits  of  St.  Louis  then  engaged  in 
the  labor  of  converting  the  Indians,  in  which  they  ap- 
pear, according  to  their  own  accounts,  to  have  met  with 
extraordinary  success;  but,  if  the  following  extracts  from 
De  Smefs  Letters  (published  at  Philadelphia  in  1843, 
and  which  I  copy  from  Greenhow,  page  361)  are  any  ev- 
idence, certainly  that  evidence  is  very  poor.  The  quo- 
tation states  "that  the  Jesuits,  De  Smet,  Mengarini, 
Point,  and  others,  have,  since  1840,  made  several  mis- 
sionary tours  through  the  Indian  countries,  in  the  course 
of  which  they  baptised  some  thousands  of  Indians;"  they 
also  erected  a  church  at  a  place  called  the  Kullerspelm 
Lake,  on  Clarke's  River,  where  the  Blessed  Virgin  ap- 
peared in  person  to  a  little  Indian  boy,  "  whose  youth, 
piety,  and  sincerity,"  say  the  good  fathers,  "joined  to 
the  nature  of  facts  which  he  related,  forbade  us  to  doubt 
of  the  truth  of  his  statement." 

If  the  Catholics  base  their  calculations  of  the  number 
and  fervor  of  their  converts  among  the  Indians  on  such 
trash  as  the  idea  of  a  little  Indian  boy  having  seen  the 
Virgin  Mary,  a  just  estimate  can  be  formed  of  their  ac- 
tual worth  by  those  persons  who,  knowing  the  Indian 
nature,  place  but  very  little  reliance  on  such  idle  and 
apocryphal  tales. 

From  this  period,  1836,  the  emigration  began  to  in- 
crease until  1843,  when,  a  promise  of  protection  from  the 


m 


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■»t'rJ 


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THREE  YEARS  AT  SHOAL-WATER  BAY. 


237 


federal  government  to  emigrants  having  been  held  out 
b}''  the  passage  through  the  Senate  of  a  bill  for  the  im- 
mediate occupation  of  Oregon,  a  thousand  persons  as- 
sembled at  Westport,  near  the  Missouri  River,  on  the 
frontier  of  the  State  of  Missouri,  from  which  they  began 
their  march  to  Oregon,  with  a  large  number  of  wagons, 
horses,  and  cattle,  in  June,  1843. 

They  arrived  in  the  Willamet  Valley  in  October,  after 
having  undergone  a  laborious  and  fatiguing  journey  of 
more  than  two  thousand  miles.  They  were  subjected 
to  sickness  and  privation,  and  seven  of  the  party  died 
by  the  way ;  but  the  difficulties,  upon  the  whole,  were 
much  less  than  had  been  anticipated  even  by  the  most 
sanga'  '^,  'md  their  success  encouraged  a  much  greater 
emigrv^^>I.v  in  1844,  before  the  end  of  which  year  the 
population  of  Oregon  exceeded  three  thousand.  This 
expedition  utterly  refuted  and  overthrew  an  article  which 
appeared  in  the  Edinburgh  Review  of  1843,  '*  and  which, 
though  generally  correct,"  says  Greenhow,  yet  affirmed, 
ex  cathedra,  that,  *'  however  the  political  questions  be- 
tween England  and  America  as  to  the  ownership  of  Or- 
egon may  be  decided,  Oregon  wiU  never  be  colonized 
overland  from  the  United  States.  The  world  must  as- 
sume a  new  face  before  the  American  wagons  make 
plain  the  road  to  the  Columbia  as  they  have  done  to  the 
Ohio."  Yet,  in  face  of  this  assiertion  of  what  was  sup- 
posed to  be  superior  wisdom,  the  American  emigrants 
did  reach  Oregon  by  a  road  that  Nature  has  made  as 
plain  as  that  from  the  Atlantic  to  the  Ohio. 

From  this  time  the  emigration  gradually  increased  till 
the  discovery  of  gold  in  California  in  1849,  when  not 
only  was  a  large  portion  of  the  emigration  diverted  to 
the  California  trade,  but  many  of  the  actual  settlers  of 
Oregon  left  for  the  country  of  gold. 

The  reaction  is  slowly  taking  place,  and  at  the  time 


&H 


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238 


THE  NORTHWEST  COAST;  OK, 


of  my  landing  at  Astoria  I  found  it  to  be  quite  a  thriving 
lown,  with  some  six  hundred  inhabitants,  a  custom- 
hoT^-^e,  general  distributing  post-office  for  the  two  Terri- 
toi  MS  of  Oregon  and  Washington,  ten  or  twelve  saw  and 
grist  mills,  and  a  general  bustle  and  stirring  business 
appearance.  Astoria  is  divided  into  two  villages :  Upper 
Astoria,  where  the  custom-house  and  two  or  three  saw- 
mills are,  is  near  Tongue  Point ;  and  Lower  Astoria,  con- 
sisting of  the  old  settlement  of  Fort  George,  contains  the 
post-office,  several  saw  and  grist  mills,  and  the  principal 
portion  of  the  business  community,  among  which  latter 
siiould  always  be  named  with  honorable  mention  the 
trading-house  of  Leonard  &  Green,  and  the  tavern-house 
of  Mr.  Bolin,  where  the  tired  traveler  may  at  all  times 
find  repose  and  all  necessary  refreshments  at  reasonable 
charges.      ' 

A  military  road  from  Astoria  to  Salem,  the  seat  of 
government  of  Oregon,  was  provided  for  by  an  act  of 
the  thirty-third  Congress,  appropriating  $25,000  to  be 
expended  under  the  direction  of  the  Secretary  of  War. 
Early  in  1855,  Lieutenant  Derby,  well  known  as  a  face- 
tious writer  over  the  signature  of  "Phoenix,"  alias 
"Squibob,"  alias  **  Eutterfield,"  and  sundry  other 
nommes  de  jplume,  was  ordered  to  take  charge  of  the 
work,  and  during  that  spring  (1855)  he  proceeded  to 
Astoria,  and  commenced  operations,  and  has  worked  at 
it  at  intervals,  until  recently  (1856)  it  has  been  placed 
under  the  charge  of  Lieutenant  Mendell.  The  road  has 
been  made  fit  for  wagons  to  pass  over  from  Astoria,  in 
the  direction  of  the  Tualiten  Plains,  a  distance  of  twen- 
ty-two miles.  This  .'oad  commences  at  Astoria,  near 
the  custom-house,  and  about  one  mile  east  of  the  old 
town. 

A  farther  appropriation  of  $10,000  has  been  aslked 
from  Congress  to  complete  this  road,  which  will,  when 


i'^y 


THREE  TEABS  AT  SHOAL-WATER  BAY. 


239 


thriving 
custom- 
70  Terri- 
saw  and 
business 
i:  Upper 
iree  saw- 
;oria,  con- 
itains  the 
principal 
lich  latter 
ntion  the 
em-housfc 
all  times 
easonable 

le  seat  or 
,n  act  of 
00  to  be 
of  War. 
as  a  face- 
,"  alias 
[Tj    other 
je  of  the 
fceeded  to 
oiked  at 
en  placed 
road  has 
storia,  in 
of  twen- 
)ria,  near 
>f  the  old 

in  asked 
rill,  when 


finished,  be  of  vast  importance  to  Oregon,  both  iu  a  mil- 
itary point  of  view,  and  also  as  opening  a  means  of  com- 
munication with  the  interior,  which  will  be  of  incalcula^ 
ble  benefit  to  emigrants  and  settlers.  it 

When  a  military  road  shall  have  been  made  irom  the 
Columbia  opposite  Astoria  to  Olympia,  the  seat  of  gov- 
ernment of  Washington  Territory,  the  two  roads  can  be 
connected  by  a  ferry,  and  a  line  of  communication  unin- 
terrupted can  be  kept  up  throughout  the  year  between 
the  capitals  of  both  Territories — a  movement  which  is 
very  much  needed  at  present,  as  during  the  winter 
months  the  floods  or  ice  block  up  the  roads  and  streams 
in  the  interior,  often  preventing  mail  communiQation  for 
weeks. 

Astoria  is  the  sea-port  of  the  Oregon  side  of  the  Co- 
lumbia, and  when  the  military  road  now  in  progress  be- 
tween Astoria  and  Salem  shall  be  completed,  it  will  be  a 
place  of  importance,  and  undoubtedly  the  largest  trading 
town  in  Oregon. 


Li .  l: 


71 


CHAPTER  XIV. 


Cross  the  Colombia  to  Chenook. — Meet  Fiddler  Smith. — ^We  start  x'or 
Shoal-water  Bay  with  Captain  Johnson. — Johnson  falls  overboard. 
— John  Edmanda. — Ox-team  Express. — Get  stuck  in  the  Swamp. — 
Captain  Nichols  and  his  Whale-boat. — ^The  Fiddler  and  myself  take 
Passage. — Safe  Arrival. — ^Another  Start  for  Astoria. — Detention  by 
Storm. — General  Adair,  of  Astoria. — Canoe  Adventure  with  Fetnr,— 
Sturgeon-fishing.  —  Salleel  and  his  Sturgeons*  Heads.  —  Johnson's 
Lake. — ^A  hard  Walk. — ^Toke  in  the  Mud. — ^Brook  Navigation. — In- 
dian Method  of  making  Fire. — ^Rate  of  Speed  home. — Strawberry 
Expedition.      ,  ;    .       -  .„. 

After  waiting  over  night  at  Astoria,  I  crossed  the 
river  to  Chenook,  where  I  found  ^  person  named  Smith, 
who  was  waiting  an  opportunity  to  go  to  Shoal-water 
Bay.    We  soon  made  a  bargain  with  Captain  Johnson, 


('■-iL.I 


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i  -H 


V' 


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ki 


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1 


111 


ii 


I 


1 
: 

i 

1 


i 


!  (If' 


m 


240 


THE  NORTHWEST  COAST;    OH, 


9,n  old  settler  at  Baker^s  Bay,  and  a  former  pilot  on  the 
nver,  to  take  us  to  the  portage  on  the  Wallacut  River, 
iknown  at  that  time  as  leister's  Portage,  Smith  (who 
was  ,med  by  the  whites  Fiddler  Smith,  to  designate 
him  m  several  other  members  of  that  remarkably  pro- 
lific tiimily)  having  assured  me  that  we  could  get  an  ox- 
team  to  transport  our  effects,  which  he  averred  could  not 
be  had  at  M*Carty's,  on  the  Wappalooche  River.  We 
had  a  very  nice  sail  till  we  reached  the  bar  at  the  en- 
trance of  the  Wallacut,  where  Johnson,  finding  the  tide 
out  and  the  channel  intricate,  took  in  sail,  and,  jumping 
overbear'',  with  the  boat's  painter  over  his  shoidder,  start- 
ed out  boldly  to  tow  us  through  the  shallow  water.  He 
had  not  made  any  calculations  for  two  or  three  deep  holes 
into  which  he  floundered,  coming  up  as  wet  and  as  shiny 
as  an  otter;  but  he  managed  to  get  us  over  the  bar  and 
into  deep  water,  when  he  and  the  fiddler  took  to  the  oars, 
while  I  steered  the  boat. 

The  Wallacut  is  a  small,  crooked  stream,  running 
through  excellent  prairie-lands,  which  are  very  fertile. 

At  the  mouth  of  the  river  we  passed  the  house  and 
farm  of  Mr.  John  Edmands,  a  settler  who  has  resided 
many  years  on  the  Columbia,  and  has  a  most  excellent 
farm  well  stocked. 

John  Edmands  is  a  celebrated  hunter,  and  yearly 
slaughters  quantities  of  elk,  deer,  and  bears,  all  of  which 
are  very  plentiful  around  his  claim.  He  is  a  capital  shot 
as  well  as  a  capital  fellow,  and  an  animal  must  make  sure 
to  die  when  John  "  draws  a  bead"  on  him  with  his  fine 
rifle. 

As  we  proceeded  up  the  river  we  passed  several  clear- 
ings and  claims,  occupied  by  persons  who  were  strangers 
to  me,  and  finally,  about  noon,  arrived  at  a  raft  of  drift- 
logs,  which  formed  the  head  of  navigation,  and,  on  land- 
ing, found  ourselves  at  Feister's. 


THREE  YEABS  AT  8H0AL-WATER  BAT. 


241 


We  soon  had  a  feam  with  two  yoke  of  oxen,  and, 
placing  our  traps  into  the  wagon,  started  off  to  walk  over 
the  portage,  which  at  this  crossing  is  three  miles  or  more 
across.  The  road  was  most  execrable — much  worse  than 
the  other  or  M 'Carta's  portage ;  and,  af^er  floundering 
in  the  mud  a  while,  old  Johnson,  who  was  with  us,  pro- 
posed taking  a  short  cut  through  the  woods,  to  which  we 
agreed,  Johnson  acting  as  pilot ;  bat  we  had  better  have 
kept  the  cart-path,  for  he  led  us  into  a  bog,  where  we 
got  most  completelj'  mired,  and  extricated  ourselves  with 
difficulty,  and  at  last  reached  the  house  of  Mrs.  Paulding^ 
situated  at  the  other  end  of  the  portage.  Our  ox-express 
shortly  arrived ;  and,  after  wasting  several  hours  in  the 
fruitless  endeavor  to  procure  a  boat  or  canoe,  were  at 
length  cheered  by  the  sight  ^  a  sail ;  and  shortly  a 
whale-boat,  owned  and  commanded  by  an  ancient  mar- 
iner, called  Captain  Nichols,  and  manned  by  himself  and 
a  Dutchman,  arrived,  and,  for  a  consideration  then  and 
there  agreed  upon,  the  worthy  Nichols  agreed  to  t-  is- 
port  us  across  the  Bay.  Bidding  good-by  to  Cap.,ain 
Johnson,  we  embarked  in  Captain  Nichols's  boat,  and 
shortly  were  under  all  sail,  beating  down  the  Bay.  We 
reached  a  settlement  some  fifteen  or  twenty  miles  dis- 
tant, called  Oysterville,  where  quite  a  number  of  oyster- 
men  had  collected  during  my  absence  to  San  Francisco. 
As  it  was  dark,  and  the  tide  being  out,  we  concluded  to 
sleep  on  board  the  boat.  Smith  and  myself  not  being 
anxious  to  try  nl'i  Johnson's  experience  on  the  Walla- 
cut  of  sounding  the  depth  of  sundry  holes  between  us 
and  the  shore. 

In  the  morning,  as  soon  as  we  could  see,  I  went  ashore 
to  carry  letters  and  papers  (for  we  had  brought  the  mail). 
Here  I  found  encamped  a  lot  of  Indians,  who  were  very 
glad  to  see  me ;  and  shortly  the  whole  camp  was  roused, 
and  came  flocking  to  us  to  learn  the  news.     After  tak- 

L 


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i^BK--^'^ 

c^^ 

242 


THE  NORTHWEST  COAST;  OB, 


i 


:t! 


m 


ing  breakfast  with  my  friend  Harry  Stevens,  we  again 
made  sail,  and  stood  across  the  Bay  to  the  mouth  of  the 
little  Querquelin,  where  I  went  ashore,  and  found  Cap- 
tain Purrington  well,  and  every  thing  looking  as  fresh 
and  green  as  a  fertile  soil  and  warm  June  son  could  make 
it.  I  found  that  during  my  absence  there  had  been  quite 
an  emigration  to  the  Bay,  and  some  neighbors  were  lo- 
cated quite  near.  Captain  William  Lake,  an  old  Staten 
Island  oysterman,  had  put  up  a  house  down  the  beach 
about  half  a  mile,  and  just  beyond  him  Baldt  and  two 
others  had  built  another  residence.  * 

So,  as  far  as  neighbors  were  concerned,  our  prospects 
were  much  better  than  when  I  had  left  the  Bay  five 
months  previous ;  but  the  cold  weather,  which  had  com- 
menced on  the  day  I  left  (January  1st,  1854),  and  con- 
tinued ten  days,  had  destroyed  not  only  our  bed  of  oys- 
ters, but  also  those  of  every  person  in  the  Bay.  This 
was  a  pecuniary  matter  not  particularly  pleasant,  but 
could  not  be  helped. 

I  had  been  but  two  or  three  days  in  the  Bay,  when  I 
had  occasion  to  go  to  Astoria,  and  took  a  passage  with 
Toke's  family,  who  were  going  to  visit  Tomanawos's 
people,  who  resided  on  Baker's  Bay.  We  took  the  same 
portage  I  had  recently  crossed,  and,  after  passing  one 
night  on  the  road,  and  sleeping  in  an  old  wagon  I  found 
at  the  portage,  we  arrived  at  the  lodge  of  the  Indians  on 
Baker's  Bay,  near  which  was  the  residence  of  J.  D.  Hol- 
man,  Esq.,  the  postmaster  of  Pacific  City,  who,  with  his 
family,  were  always  ready  to  extend  their  hospitalities 
to  all  travelers. 

I  was  received  with  a  cordial  and  hearty  welcome  by 
Mr.  Holman,  and  invited  to  pass  the  night  at  his  house, 
which  I  did,  intending  to  cross  the  Columbia  the  next 
morning  in  Johnson's  boat  to  Astoria ;  but,  when  morn- 
ing came,  so  did  a  violent  southeast  storm  of  wind  and 


THREE  TEARS  AT  SHOAL-WATER  BAY. 


243 


rain,  which  kept  me  four  days  unable  to  get  away,  and, 
when  we  did  start,  that  is  to  say,  old  Johnson  and  my- 
self, there  was  so  much  wind  and  such  a  sea  that  we  had 
to  run  for  the  mouth  of  the  Wappalooche  or  Chenook 
Biver,  which  we  reached  after  running  through  the  break- 
ers in  fine  style,  and  landed  under  the  lee  of  the  bank 
near  George  Dawson's  house,  and  from  thence  walked 
round  the  beach  t«   Chenook. 

The  next  morning  (June  9th,  1854)  I  crossed  the  river 
to  Astoria,  and  proceeded  to  the  custom-house,  where 
the  collector.  General  John  Adair,  appointed  me  to  take 
charge  of  the  inierests  of  the  United  States  Treasury  De- 
partment for  that  portion  of  the  coast  north  of  the  Co- 
lumbia, including  Shoal-water  Bay  and  Gray's  Harbor, 
to  Cape  Flattery ;  the  duties  of  the  office  being  to  report 
all  vessels  arriving  at  or  departing  from  Shoal-water 
Bay,  and  to  keep  a  diligent  watch  on  the  coast  to  see 
that  none  of  the  Bussian  or  Hudson  Bay  Companies* 
vessels  came  around  either  for  smuggling  or  trading  with 
the  Indians.  After  this  matter  was  properly  arranged, 
I  returned  to  the  Bay  with  Peter,  the  Indian  lad,  in  a 
small  canoe.  Toward  the  first  of  July  I  found  it  neces- 
sary to  again  visit  Astoria,  and,  as  Peter  wished  to  take 
up  Toke's  large  canoe  to  the  portage  for  the  purpose  of 
bringing  the  family  back  from  Chenook,  where  they  had 
been  fishing,  I  consented  to  help  him  get  the  canoe  across 
the  Bay,  which,  considering  that  the  wind  was  fair,  seem- 
ed an  easy  job,  but  we  found  it  a  tough  one  before  we 
got  through.  The  wind,  which  favored  us  at  the  start, 
died  away  before  we  were  half  way  across  the  Bay,  and 
by  the  timo  we  had  reached  the  mouth  of  the  Tarlilt 
Creek,  on  our  way  over  the  portage  to  Baker's  Bay,  the 
tide  was  all  out.,  and  it  was  past  sundown.  We  wished 
to  proceed  up  the  creek  some  two  miles  to  where  we  in- 
tended landing,  at  Mrs.  Paulding's,  but  had  to  remain  at 


^:! 


t,  i>i 


0, 


244 


THE  NORTHWEST  COAST;   OB, 


f-  i 


i 


the  mouth  of  the  river  waiting  for  the  tide.  The  wind 
had  now  hauled  into  the  south,  with  every  indication  of 
rain ;  but  we  were  lired  out,  and  lay  down  in  the  canoe 
and  went  to  sleep.  We  were  awakened  about  midnight, 
and  found  the  canoe  half  full  of  water,  the  wind  blowing 
a  gale,  and  the  rain  falling  in  torrents.  I  had  on  a  suit 
of  India-rubber  clothes,  but,  as  I  had  been  lying  down  in 
the  canoe,  the  water  had  run  down  my  neck  and  up  the 
legs  of  my  pantaloons,  and  I  was  as  wet  as  if  I  had  been 
overboard ;  however,  there  was  no  help  but  to  try  and 
get  up  the  creek.  Although  the  tide  was  now  rising 
and  in  our  favor,  yet  the  wind  blew  down  stream  with 
such  violence  that  at  times  I  thought  it  would  blow  the 
old  canoe  into  the  prairie,  and  it  was  not  till  nearly  three 
o'clock  in  the  morning  that  we  reached  Mrs.  Paulding's. 
We  found  no  one  at  home  but  two  little  boys,  who  got 
us  some  breakfast,  while  we  dried  our  clothes  as  we  best 
could  around  the  fire.  It  was  still  raining  violently  and 
Wowing  hard  as  we  commenced  our  journey  over  the 
portage,  which  by  this  time  was  nearly  impassable  from 
fallen  limbs  and  trunks  of  trees  broken  by  the  gale.  As 
we  reached  Feister's  house  we  met  Captain  John  Vail, 
who  begged  us  to  go  in  out  of  the  storm,  but  we  de- 
clined, as  we  were  then  wet,  and  did  not  care  for  the 
rain,  having  the  whole  day  before  us  to  travel  in ;  so  we 
pushed  on  through  the  wet  grass  in  the  prairie,  and  over 
the  now  swollen  stream  of  the  Wallacut,  which  we  man- 
aged to  cross  on  drift  logs,  and  at  last  reached  the  mouth 
of  the  river,  where  we  were  ferried  over  Ity  John  Ed- 
mands'  son,  and  then  took  up  our  line  of  march  for  the 
Wappalooche  or  Chenook  River,  which  we  crossed  in  a 
canoe  we  got  firom  old  Sailed,  and  then  walked  to  Che- 
nook, where  we  arrived  about  five  o'clock  P.M.,  having 
walked  about  eighteen  miles  through  a  violent  rain-storm 
since  breakfast.     However,  we  were  very  well  satisfied, 


THREE  YEARS  AT  SHOAL-WATER  BAY. 


245 


for  the  rain  ceased  when  we  reached  Chenook,  and  the 
sun  set  bright  and  clear,  giving  token  of  a  pleasant  day 
for  the  morrow.  The  next  day  I  crossed  the  river  to 
Astoria,  and  on  my  return,  which  was  late  in  the  after- 
noon, made  arrangements  with  the  Indians  to  start  for 
the  Bay  the  day  following. 

As  there  were  a  number  of  Indians  going  to  the 
mouth  of  the  river,  near  Cape  Disappointment,  we  all 
started  together  as  soon  as  the  tide  began  to  ebb  the 
next  morning.  As  we  were  crossing  Baker's  Bay,  I  saw 
several  Indians  fishing  for  sturgeon. 

Their  method  is  to  fasten  a  salmon-hook  to  a  long 
line  similar  to  a  large-sized  cod-line.  The  hook  is  then 
placed  on  the  end  of  a  pole,  and  the  Indian  goes  along 
slowly  in  his  canoe  over  the  shoals,  with  the  pole  down, 
feeling  for  the  fish  in  the  same  manner  as  described  before 
for  taking  salmon.  When  the  Indian  feels  the  sturgeon, 
he  sticks  the  hook  into  it,  and,  quickly  hauling  in  the  pole, 
slacks  out  some  of  the  line,  and  prepares  for  a  race.  As 
soon  as  the  sturgeon  feels  the  hook,  away  he  starts  like  an 
arrow,  and  the  canoe  goes  whizzing  and  spinning  along 
at  a  fearful  rate,  and  requires  a  good  deal  of  dexterous 
management  to  prevent  being  turned  over.  As  tho  fish 
slackens  speed,  the  Indian  hauls  in  the  line,  and  by  per- 
severance at  last  tires  the  fish  so  that  it  is  hauled  to  the 
surface  of  the  water,  and  stunned  by  a  blow  on  the  head 
or  nose  with  a  heavy  club  carried  for  the  purpose.  The 
trouble  now  is  to  get  the  sturgeon  into  the  canoe,  for 
sometimes  these  fish  weigh  from  three  to  four  hundred 
pounds,  and  are  from  twelve  to  fifteen  feet  long.  Tne 
Indian  contrives  to  get  the  sturgeon's  head  over  the  gun- 
wale of  the  canoe,  and  with  a  peculiar  twist  suddenly 
jerks  the  fish  in  without  any  apparent  difficulty.  I 
have  thus  seen  two  Indians  get  a  sturgeon  into  a  little 
canoe  that  white  men  never  could  have  accomplished  ex- 


i-  m 


^  M 


^•'■M 


ti'la 


246 


TKE   NORTHWEST  COAST;   OR, 


til 


m 


iiii'iil 


ii  ;!;;:•. '11! 


cept  by  lifting  the  fish  bodily,  and  then  gently  depositing 
it  into  the  bottom  of  the  canoe,  so  as  not  to  capsize  it. 
Sometimes  an  Indian  will  catch  two  or  three  grea!  stur- 
geon during  one  tide,  for  they  generally  begin  to  fish  as 
the  tide  begins  to  fiood,  when  the  sturgeon  follow  up  in 
the  shoal  water  to  feed. 

The  fish,  after  being  carried  homo,  is  opened,  care  be- 
ing taken  to  save  all  the  blood,  which  is  put  into  a  ket- 
tle with  some  choice  cuts,  and  then  boiled.  The  head, 
like  that  of  the  salmon,  is  esteemed  the  best  part,  and  is 
either  boiled,  or  cut  in  strips  and  broiled  or  roasted  be- 
fore the  fire.  The  pith  of  the  back  bono  is  considered  a 
great  luxury,  and  is  eaten  raw ;  and,  although  not  having 
more  flavor  than  the  white  of  an  egg^  is  not  unpalatable. 

The  rest  of  the  fish  is  then  cut  in  thin  strips  and 
dried  in  the  smoke.  The  sturgeon  taken  at  the  mouth 
of  the  Columbia  and  in  Shoal-water  Bay  are  more  deli- 
cate flavored  and  tender,  finer  grained  than  any  stur- 
geon I  have  ever  seen  in  any  part  of  the  world.  The 
Indians  prefer  them  to  salmon,  but  it  is  much  more  diffi- 
cult to  take  them.  Old  Sailed^  at  the  mouth  of  the 
Wappalooche  or  Cbenook  River,  was  a  great  hand  at 
catching  sturgeon,  and  usually  had  three  or  four  stur- 
geons' heads,  on  as  many  poles,  stuck  up  around  his 
lodge,  where  they  filled  the  air  with  their  perfume. 
What  his  object  was  no  one  appeared  to  know,  and  as 
he  was  the  only  Indian  whom  I  met  with  that  seemed 
to  fancy  such  ornaments,  I  presumed  it  was  to  gratify 
some  freak  of  his  own.  He  was  among  the  fishermen 
as  we  passed,  and  made  us  a  present  of  as  much  as  we 
wanted  of  a  fine  fat  sturgeon  he  had  just  caught. 

We  landed  near  the  lodge  of  Tomanawos ;  and  while  I 
went  to  Mr.  Holman's  to  get  the  mail  for  Shoal-water 
Bay,  the  Indians  were  packing  their  things  across  a  short 
portage  to  a  small  sheet  of  water  called  Johnson's  Lake. 


Id 


"IM- 


■•'Ml 


THREE  YEARS   AT  SHOAI/-WATEB  BAY. 


247 


I  soon  joined  them,  but  found  that  the  water  was  so  low 
at  the  outlet  to  the  lake  wo  should  have  to  walk. 

This  wi'8  the  longest  possible  way  to  cross  over  from 
the  Columbia  to  Shoal-watcr  Bay,  the  route  being  almost 
diagonally  across  the  peninsula.  However,  we  each  took 
our  pack  and  started.  Our  road  lay  over  a  quaking  bog 
for  nearly  the  whole  distance,  and  was  certainly  only  fit 
to  be  traveled  by  Indians.  Part  of  the  time  wo  had  to 
jump  over  from  one  bunch  of  grass  to  anoiher  to  clear 
the  soft  mud  between ;  but  we  got  along  very  well,  ex- 
cept old  Toke,  who,  having  a  heavy  load  or  his  bpck, 
slipped  on  a  bunch  of  grass,  and  sank  into  the  mud  up 
to  his  arm-pits.  I  asked  him  if  he  felt  bottom  ;  but  he 
said  not,  and  thought  Iiis  bundle  was  the  means  of  pre- 
venting his  sinking  entirely  out  of  sight.  I  asked  wi  y 
they  preferred  cross?  nc;  such  a  dangerous  place,  when 
they  could  have  kept  on  high  land.  "  Oh,"  they  said, 
"that  was  the  way  they  always  did."  As  we  came  to 
the  outlet  to  the  lake,  which  was  but  a  mere  brook,  we 
found  the  bushes  so  thick  that  it  was  decided  to  follow 
the  channel  down  till  we  reached  the  canoe.  This  was 
a  pretty  piece  of  navigation ;  sometimes  the  water  would 
be  two  inches  deep,  and  in  three  steps  more  it  would  be 
four  or  five  feet  deep.  But  we  did  not  ere  t  the  weather 
was  warm  and  pleasant,  the  bushes  fuii  .  i  berries,  and 
after  we  had  once  got  drenched  it  made  no  difference 
how  deep  the  water  was.  Bat  we  reached  the  canoe 
safely,  and  in  two  or  three  minutes  Lad  a  fire  blazing  and 
some  sturgeon  cooking.  The  Indians  would  always  and 
invariably  kindle  a  fire  whenever  we  would  stop  for  half 
an  hour  either  to  wait  for  some  one  to  come  up  or  while 
waiting  for  the  tide.  They  are  the  most  expert  people 
to  build  fires  in  wet  weather  I  ever  met  with.  I  was 
one  night  obliged  to  camp  out  during  a  heavy  rain,  being 
unable  to  cross  the  Bay  on  account  of  the  wind  blowing 


t 


M 


248 


THE  NORTHWEST  COAST;   OR, 


l!iiK;:i 


violently.  I  saw  no  possible  means  of  procuring  a  fire. 
We  were  at  a  place  where  there  were  no  large  trees,  and 
all  the  drift-wood  was  saturated  with  water ;  but  the  In- 
dians soon  had  a  blaze,  which  they  kindled  in  this  man- 
ner: There  was  plenty  of  the  dry,  dead  stalks  of  the 
wild  or  cow-parsnip  lying  about.  These  stalks  are  hol- 
low, with  a  dry  substance  inside  that  bums  like  tinder ; 
and  no  matter  how  much  it  may  rain,  the  inside  of 
these  dead  stalks  is  always  dry.  The  Indians  had  used 
this  material,  and,  after  once  starting  a  blaze,  soon  man- 
aged to  have  a  roaring  fire. 

As  soon  as  all  our  party  arrived  we  started  for  home, 
and,  having  proceeded  as  far  as  Long  Island,  went 
ashore  some  fifteen  miles  from  where  we  had  left,  and 
made  a  camp,  where  we  stopped  all  night.  We  could 
have  reached  home  easily,  but,  as  there  was  no  occasion 
for  haste,  I  preferred  to  travel  just  as  the  Indians  were 
used  to  going,  without  hurrying  them  up  continually, 
which  only  vexes  them  to  no  purpose.  Indians  can  be 
hired  to  go  as  quick  as  a  person  desires,  but  when  they 
are  traveling  with  their  families,  they  dislike  very  much 
being  obliged  to  go  faster  than  a  very  moderate  pace. 

When  in  the  canoe,  all  hands  will  paddle  vehemently, 
and  one  would  suppose  the  journey  would  be  speedily 
accomplished,  the  canoe  seeming  almost  to  fly.  This 
speed  will  be  kept  up  for  a  hundred  rods,  when  they 
ceasti  paddling,  and  all  begin  talking.  Perhaps  one  has 
spied  something,  which  he  has  to  describe  while  the  rest 
listen ;  or  another  thinks  of  some  funny  anecdote  or  oc- 
currence that  has  transpired  among  the  Indians  they 
have  been  visiting,  that  has  to  be  related ;  or  they  are 
passing  some  remarkable  tree,  or  cliff,  or  stone,  which  has 
a  legend  attached  to  it,  and  which  the  )ld  folks  never 
can  pass  without  relating  to  the  young,  who  all  give  the 
most  respectful  attention.     When  the  tale  is  over,  the 


r»A 


THREE  YEABS  AT  SHOAL-WATER  BAY. 


249 


occasion 


steersman  gives  the  word  "  Que-nick,  que-nuk,  wMd- 
tuck*^  (now,  now,  hurry),  when  all  again  paddle  away 
with  a  desperate  energy  for  a  few  minutes,  and  then  the 
same  scene  is  again  enacted.  But  if  the  wind  happens 
to  be  fair,  then  they  are  happy ;  the  sail  is  set  if  they 
have  one,  or,  if  not,  some  one's  blanket  serves  instead, 
and  down  they  sit  in  the  bottom  of  the  canoe,  and  eat 
dried  fish  and  tell  stories.  If  the  wind  is  very  fresh  and 
squally,  they  sit  to  the  windward,  and  whenever  a  puff 
strikes  the  sail  strong  enough  to  threaten  a  capsize,  they 
all  dip  their  paddles  deep  into  the  water,  bringing  the 
broadside  of  the  blade  toward  the  bottom  of  the  catioe, 
which  serves  the  purpose  of  righting  her  and  throwing 
the  sail  up  into  the  wind.  They  are  exceedingly  expert 
in  their  canoes,  and  very  seldom  meet  with  a,ccidents. 

We  reached  the  Querquelin  Creek  early  the  next 
morning,  and  found  the  captain  as  busy  as  a  bee  collect- 
ing oysters  and  cultivating  cabbages.  The  next  day 
being  the  fourth  of  July,  we  concluded  to  celebrate  it  by 
going  after  berries ;  so,  taking  our  tent  and  large  canoe, 
we  went  across  the  Bay  to  the  point  of  the  peninsula, 
called  Leadbetter  Point,  where  we  found  a  number  of  In- 
dians camped,  and  any  quantity  of  berries — strawber- 
ries, blackberries,  raspberries,  and  blueberries,  black  cur- 
rants, and  huckleberries.  These  berries  the  Indian  wom- 
en and  children  picked  when  the  tide  was  up,  but  at  low 
water  they  collected  clams  for  drying,  while  the  men  shot 
seals  or  caught  sturgeon. 

It  appears  to  me  as  if  Shoal-water  Bay  is  an  Indian's 
paradise.  There  is  no  time  of  the  year,  excepting  win- 
ter, and  only  a  short  time  then,  but  what  a  plenty  of  food 
can  be  obtained  by  any  one  who  is  not  too  lazy  to  go 
out  for  it.  The  captain  and  myself  amused  ourselves  by 
going  to  the  weather  beach,  or  the  Pacific  coast  beach, 
to  collect  spikes,  bolts,  or  any  useful  matters  we  could 

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250 


THE  NOETHWEST  COAST;  OB, 


find  among  the  drift-stuff  which  had  been  thrown  ashore 
during  the  winter  storms.  Whenever  we  returned  to 
our  tent,  we  were  sure  to  find  a  basket  or  two  of  nice 
fi:esh  berries  covered  over  with  green  leaves.  We  re- 
mained at  the  camp  a  couple  of  days,  and  then  return- 
ed, leaving  the  Indians,  who  intended  stopping  longer, 
to  lay  in  a  stock  of  dried  dams. 


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CHAPTER  XV. 

Visit  to  the  Queniult  Indians  with  Winant  and  Roberts. — Cross  the  Baj 
and  camp  with  the  Indians. — Carcowan  and  Tleyuk. — ^Trouble  on . 
starting. — ^Arrival  at  Gray's  Harbor. — ^Armstrong's  Point. — ^Difficulty 
with  Caslahhan. — Sam  fires  at  Caslahhan. — A  Settlement.^ — Swarms 
of  Fleas. — Our  Camp. — We  proceed  up  the  Beach. — Adventure  with 
a  Bear. — Beach  the  Copalis  River. — Wreck  of  the  Steamer  General 
Warren. — ^The  Current  north  of  the  Columbia. — Appearance  of  the 
Coast. — Point  Grenville. — Arrive  at  Queniult. — PecuUar  Variety  of 
Salmon. — Indian  Tricks. — I  am  taken  sick. — Old  Carcowan  wishes 
to  have  me  killed. — Description  of  the  Queniults. — Start  for  Shoal- 
water  Bay. — Indian  Hospitality. — ^Bird  Feast  at  Point  Grenville. — 
Style  of  Cooking. — Heavy  Surf  and  a  Capsize. — ^We  proceed  through 
the  Breakers. — Arrive  at  Gray's  Harbor. — ^A  Feast. — ^I'ine  View. — 
Reach  Home. 

Thebe  were  a  good  many  Indians  in  the  Bay  at  this 
time,  who  had  been  collecting  oysters  for  the  whites,  and 
I  had  several  invitations  to  go  up  the  Coast ;  but  the 
reputation  of  the  Coast  tribes  was  so  bad  that  I  did  not 
care  to  go  among  them,  and  particularly  as  I  had  just 
heard  of  their  bad  treatment  of  Colonel  Simmons,  the 
Indian  agent,  who  had  been  robbed  by  some  of  the  Quai- 
tso  Indians  only  a  few  weeks  previous. 

At  last  they  hit  upon  a  plan  which  was  pretty  sure 
to  call  me  up,  which  was  this.  They  had  found  out 
that  if  any  vessel  had  arrived  at  any  point  on  the  Coast, 
it  was  necessary  for  me  to  proceed  to  her.  So  they  came 
one  day  with  a  report  that  there  was  a,^re-sAijp,  or  steam- 


;!i;if 


THREE  YEARS  AT  SHOAL-WATER  BAY. 


251 


er,  at  anchor  near  Point  Grenville,  trading  with  the 
Queniult  Indians.  They  also  produced  some  fine  speci- 
mens of  coal,  which  they  asserted  was  to  be  had  in  any 
quantity  directly  on  the  Coast ;  and  they  still  farther 
asserted  that  there  was  plenty  of  gold  in  the  mountains 
of  the  interior.  I  knew  of  no  steamers  on  the  Coast 
trading  with  the  Indians,  unless  it  might  he  either  the 
Hudson  Bay  steamers  or  some  one  of  the  Russians ; 
however,  it  was  necessary  for  me  to  go,  and  accordingly 
I  at  once  proceeded  to  make  preparations. 

Two  of  the  settlers,  Messrs.  Samuel  Winant  and  R. 
Roberts,  agreed  to  accompany  me.  I  had  accustomed 
myself  to  the  use  of  Indian  food,  and  could  get  along 
very  well  with  dried  salmon  and  the  new  potatoes,  which 
were  then  ready  for  use.  The  others,  however,  had  no 
idea  of  stinting  themselves  to  such  fare,  and,  according- 
ly, we  made  preparations  by  boiling  a  ham,  filling  a  bag 
with  ship-bread,  some  rice,  sugar,  and  cofiee,  not  to  for- 
get salt,  pepper,  and  vinegar.  These  preparations  be- 
ing completed,  I  engaged  two  Indians,  Peter  and  Cle- 
theas,  to  carry  my  blankets  and  assist  me ;  and  Sam 
Winant  and  Roberts  had  an  Indian,  called  George,  and 
two  or  three  others  of  little  use.  Our  plan  of  proceed- 
ing, as  agreed  on,  was  to  cross  the  Bay,  and  then  walk 
by  way  of  the  beach  to  Gray's  Harbor,  eighteen  miles 
distant,  and,  after  crossing  that  bay,  to  again  proceed, 
either  on  foot  or  on  horseback,  over  the  beach  to  the 
place  of  our  destination.  We  had  to  pass  through  the 
lands  of  the  Chehalis  and  Copalis  tribes  to  reach  the 
Queniult  country,  and,  as  there  were  a  number  of  In- 
dians of  each  tribe  who  were  going  home  and  intended 
accompanying  us,  we  at  first  did  not  know  what  course 
to  pursue  so  as  to  avoid  giving  offense,  for  each  insisted 
on  being  the  party  to  carry  us  through.  Carcowan  and 
his  son  Tleyuk,  the  chiefs  of  the  Chehalis  Indians,  in-? 


I    11 


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252 


THE   NORTHWEST  COAST;   OK, 


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sisted  that,  as  we  would  pass  through  their  lands  first, 
they  were  entitled  to  let  the  horses  and  canoes  for  the 
whole  distance ;  but  the  Copalis  said  they  had  better 
horses  than  Carcovvan,  and  we  must  take  theirs;  while 
the  Queniults,  wl  om  we  were  going  to  visit,  asserted  that 
we  were  their  guc  sts,  and  none  of  the  others  had  a  right  to 
interfere.  This  anxiety  to  render  us  a  service,  it  should 
be  remembered,  did  not  arise  from  their  particular  fond- 
ness for  us,  or  from  any  natural  love  of  hospitality,  but 
simply  to  get  what  pay  they  could  out  of  us. 

This  difficulty  seemed  likely  to  be  serious,  and,  after 
crossing  the  Bay,  it  was  concluded  to  make  a  camp  and 
remain  till  the  next  morning,  and,  in  the  mean  time,  have, 
the  matter  fairly  understood.  So  the  subject  was,  as 
Roberts  remarked,  fully  discussed  by  the  natives,  and 
fully  cui'sed  by  us. 

At  last  old  Carcowan,  who  was  the  oldest  person  pres- 
ent, and  who  was  the  spokesman,  agreed  to  leave  the 
matter  to  me  to  decide,  which  I  did  at  once  by  agreeing 
that  we  would  use  his  horses  while  passing  through  his 
lands,  and  when  we  crossed  the  bay  of  Gray's  Harbor 
would  take  the  guidance  of  the  Copalis  Indians  till  we 
should  reach  the  Copalis  River,  and  then  the  Queniults 
should  take  us  the  rest  of  the  way.  This  arrangement 
appeared  to  please  all  parties  except  old  Carcowan,  who 
wished  to  grab  all  the  costs  of  the  expedition ;  but  we 
did  not  mind  him,  and,  to  show  that  we  did  net  care  to 
humor  him,  concluded  to  walk,  and  only  take  one  horse 
to  pack  our  blankets  and  provisions. 

Early  the  next  morning  we  started,  after  seeing  that 
the  canoe  that  was  to  take  us  across  Gray's  Harbor  had 
first  set  out ;  for  she  had  to  be  taken  round  the  beach 
through  the  surf,  and  her  owner,  whose  name  was  Cas- 
lah^han — an  ugly-looking  scamp,  with  but  one  eye — had 
the  reputation  of  being  a  very  tricky  fellow,  so  we  were 


THREE  YEARS  AT  SHOAL-WATER  BAY. 


253 


determined  to  make  him  start  first,  which  he  did,  having 
another  Indian  with  him  to  assist.  After  we  had  pack- 
ed our  horse  we  started  oiT  single  file,  the  horse  ahead, 
led  by  an  Indian,  and  the  rest  of  the  party  straggling  on 
to  suit  their  own  convenience.  Our  road  at  first  lay 
through  a  thick  forest  of  small  trees,  which  extends  in  a 
belt  about  two  miles  wide.  From  this  we  emerged  into 
a  sandy  plain,  covered  with  beach-grass,  and,  passing 
that,  found  ourselves  on  the  beautiful  beach  which  ex- 
tends in  a  line  nearly  north  for  eighteen  miles  to  Gray*s 
Harbor.  We  remained  here  a  short  time  for  the  strag- 
glers to  come  up,  and  to  make  sure  that  Caslah^han  and 
his  canoe  were  coming,  and  shortly  we  perceived  them 
like  a  speck  on  the  horizon  just  coming  round  the  point 
of  Shoal-water  Bay.  It  was  a  splendid  morning,  and  a 
fresh  northwest  wind  was  throwing  up  a  fine  surf  on  the 
beach,  and  the  white  tops  of  the  breakers  could  be  seen 
as  far  as  the  eye  could  reach  either  north  or  south. 
Myriads  of  sea-fowl  were  flying  round,  and,  as  each  of 
us  had  a  gun,  we  amufied  ourselves  by  blazing:  away 
with  pretty  good  success.  Sam  and  Roberts  did  not 
feel  in  any  hurry ;  they  were  not  much  used  to  walking, 
and,  as  the  sun  got  up,  we  found  it  pretty  warm  work. 
But  I  noticed  the  Indian  with  the  pack-horse  going  on 
at  a  pretty  good  pace,  and,  as  I  thought  it  best  to  have 
an  eye  on  our  effects,  I  concluded  to  keep  up  with  him. 
Accordingly,  I  coon  found  myrelf  far  in  advance  of  the 
party,  and  at  length  arrived  at  Armstrong's  Point,  or 
Point  Brown,  as  the  maps  have  it ;  but  the  settlers  call 
it  Armstrong's  Point,  as  Mr.  Armstrong,  owner  of  a  mill 
on  the  Chehalis  P.Iver,  had  built  a  house  there,  a  year  or 
so  previous,  for  a  Dr.  Roundtree,  who  intended  to  found 
a  city,  and  go  into  the  manufacture  of  salt.  The  proj- 
ect, however,  was  abandoned,  and  I  found  the  house  in  a 
very  dilapidated  condition,  but,  with  the  assistance  of 


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254 


THE  NOJITHWEST  COAST;   OR, 


the  Indian,  soon  had  a  lire  for  the  purpose  of  cooking 
dinner  for  the  others.  I  was  very  hot  and  thivsty,  having 
walked  six  hours  over  the  eand-beach  in  a  hot  r  'mi,  and 
began  to  look  round  for  some  wat6r.  The  L^ditin  point- 
ed me  to  the  spring,  which  vvas  at  a  short  distance,  bat 
when  I  reached  it  I  found  a  dead  rat  in  die  water.  This 
the  Indian  soon  cleaned  out  will*  the  aid  of  an  old  tin 
kettle,  and  by  the  time  the  rest  of  the  partv  arrived  the 
water  had  become  sufficiently  sweet  to  diink,  although 
strongly  impregnated  with  the  unplea^iant  odor,  W'^la 
we  w*  »e  eating  our  dinner,  Caslah'han  arrived  ivith  the 
canoe,  tiral  ^;id  angry,  for  it  appeared  that  he  had  quar- 
reled Willi  the  Itidian  who  was  helping  him  bring  th© 
canoe  round,  and  che  fellow  had  unceremoniously  jump- 
ed ashore,  leaving  Caslah'han  to  get  on  the  best  he 
could. 

The  canoe,  which  was  a  large  one,  was  the  only  means 
we  had  to  cross  the  Bay,  for  Carcowan's  people,  with  all 
their  canoes,  were  oiF  up  the  river.  But  Caslah^han, 
who  lived  on  the  north  side  of  the  Bay,  had  determined 
to  go  on  alone,  and  had  already  pushed  off  with  a  fair 
wind^and  was  some  ten  or  twelve  rods  off  from  the  shore, 
when  Carcowan  came  up  and  asked  Sam  to  run  down 
and  hail  him,  which  he  did,  but,  receiving  no  reply,  Car- 
cowan urged  him  to  fire,  which  Sam,  without  thinking, 
did,  and  the  ball  from  his  rifle  came  near  enough  to  Cas- 
laVhan's  head  to  cause  him  to  take  in  his  sail  and  put 
back. 

As  soon  as  he  landed,  he  came  directly  to  me,  and 
asked  why  Sam  had  fired  at  him.  I  replied  that  the 
surf  was  making  so  much  noise  on  the  beach  that  he 
did  not  seem  to  hear  when  he  was  hailed,  and  Sam  had 
merely  fired  to  attract  his  attention.  '*  Well,"  said  he, 
"  he  had  no  occasion  to  have  fired  at  me,  and  if  he  had 
hit  me  you  would  all  have  been  killed."     I,  however, 


% 


mm 


THBEE  YEARS  AT  SHOAL-WATER  BAY. 


255 


pacified  him,  and  Sam  made  him  a  present,  which  set- 
tled the  matter  amicably.  He  now  consented  to  ferry 
us  across  the  Bay,  and  we  reached  the  other  side  late  in 
the  afternoon,  and  were  landed  at  his  residence. 

The  house  in  which  he  had  resided  during  the  winter 
was  deserted,  and  par*-  of  the  boards  were  removed,  while 
the  family  were  living  in  a  mat  house  at  a  little  distance. 
The  reason  of  this  was  soon  made  known ;  for,  on  walk- 
ing into  the  lodge,  we  were  instantly  covered  with 
swarms  of  fieas,  so  numerous  and  large  that  they  seemed 
to  me  like  flax-seed,  they  were  so  big  and  shiny.  We 
had  to  run  into  the  water  to  get  rid  of  these  unwelcome 
intruders,  and  then  found  that  the  Indians  had  been 
fairly  driven  out  of  their  lodge  by  these  swarms.  I  sug- 
gested that  they  had  better  bum  up  the  remainder  of  the 
house,  so  as  to  destroy  the  fleas ;  but  the  Indians  said, 
"  Oh !  never  mind ;  when  the  winter  comes  tL^^^y  will  all 
go  away."  But  they  did  not  go  away  from  us  so  read- 
ily, for  we  were  tormented  with  them  aU  night.  We 
had  made  for  ourselves  a  rude  shelter  of  boards,  under 
which  w&  tried  to  get  a  little  sleep,  but  we  did  not  suc- 
ceed very  well,  and  by  daylight  were  all  up  and  ready 
for  breakfast. 

Sam  and  Roberts  now  complained  of  fatigue,  and  said 
they  would  walk  no  more,  but  wait  for  horses,  their  ex- 
perience of  the  preceding  twenty-four  hours  being  of  a 
natuie  little  calculated  to  elevate  their  spirits.  The 
horses,  however,  were  at  Copalis,  eighteen  miles  distant. 
They  dispatched  an  Indian  for  them,  and  concluded  to 
wait  where  they  were  till  the  horses  came ;  but  I,  not 
feeling  any  fatigue,  thought  that,  with  George  the  Indian, 
we  would  start  on  and  walk.  George  took  a  heavy  pack 
on  his  back  and  a  double-barreled  gun,  and  both  of  us 
set  out  for  a  tramp. 

We  had  now  to  pass  over  a  sand-waste  covered  with 


't'^ 


"\'.' 


-  > 


.1,*S 


,^'  'u 


■  '    ,^4 


'■■if 


.:-m 


[m 


256 


I    '! 


*     ' 


THE  NORTHWEST  COAST;   OB, 


beach  grass  and  stunted  lupin  bushes,  and  marked  all 
over  with  the  footprints  of  wild  animals — bears,  pan- 
thers, elk,  deer,  wolves,  and  foxes.  It  appeared  to  be  a 
perfect  highway  for  the  brute  creation. 

This  barren  tract  was  about  three  miles  wide,  reach- 
ing from  the  ocean  to  a  dense  forest  of  firs,  and  gi'owing 
narrower,  till  at  Copalis  it  was  but  a  few  rods  wide,  the 
forest  growing  to  the  edge  of  high-water  mark.  We 
crossed  the  desert  as  soon  as  we  could,  and  when  on 
the  open  beach  sat  down  on  a  log  to  rest.  Looking 
down  the  beach  toward  Gray's  Harbor,  I  saw  the  rest 
of  the  party  coming  along  slowly.  They  had  become 
tired  of  waiting,  and  had  gained  the  beach  by  a  more  di- 
rect route  than  we  had  taken. 

As  far  as  the  eye  could  reach  might  be  seen  immense 
flocks  of  gulls,  plover,  curlew,  snipe,  crows,  ravens,  and 
eagles.  We  amused  ourselves  as  we  went  along  shoot- 
ing these  birds,  and  soon  had  enough  for  our  dinner. 
Far  in  the  distance  I  saw  a  large  black  object,  which 
the  Indian  told  me  was  a  bear.  Away  I  started  to  get 
between  it  and  the  woods,  forgetting  in  my  hurry  that 
my  gun  was  only  loaded  with  shot.  The  Indian,  who 
had  more  sense,  called  me  back ;  but,  supposing  that  he 
merely  wished  to  get  the  first  shot,  I  kept  on,  and  he 
started  after  me  on  a  run,  but  he  could  not  keep  up  on 
account  of  his  pack. 

I  soon  discovered  that  the  object  of  my  pursuit  was 
an  old  bear,  and  that  she  had  a  half-grown  cub  with  her, 
which  I  had  not  noticed  before.  The  old  one  had  a  fish 
in  her  mouth,  which  she  had  just  picked  up  out  of  the 
surf,  and  the  pair  were  leisurely  moving  toward  the 
woods.  They  came  up  without  taking  any  notice  of  me, 
and  as  soon  as  the  old  one  was  near  enough,  I  fired,  and 
struck  her  just  back  of  the  shoulder. 

The  surprise  and  shock  caused  her  to  start  and  roll 


THREE  YEARS  AT  SHOAL-WATER  BAY. 


267 


over ;  for,  although  the  gun  was  only  loaded  with  shot,  I 
was  so  near  that  the  charge  had  but  little  chance  to  scat- 
ter. She  recovered  in  an  instant,  and,  after  looking  at 
her  cub,  started  after  me.  But  Georc^e  had  come  up  by 
this  time,  and  fired  off  both  barrels  ^i  his  gun,  which  had 
tho  effect  of  starting  her  in  another  direction ;  and  away 
she  went,  bleeding  profusely,  and,  with  her  cub,  was 
soon  out  of  sight  in  the  bush.  While  this  skirmish  was 
going  on,  the  rest  of  the  party  came  up,  and,  having  con- 
sulted, it  was  concluded  to  proceed,  and  not  attempt  any 
farther  attack  on  the  bears ;  and  while  we  were  talking, 
we  spied  the  horses  we  had  so  long  expected.  In  a  few 
minutes  they  came  up,  bringing  a  motley-looking  crew 
of  savages,  whooping,  yelling,  and  screaming,  who,  after 
showing  us  several  of  their  feats  of  horsemanship,  dis- 
mounted, and  all  hands  proceeded  to  take  a  lunch. 
When  we  had  our  blankets  and  provisions  secured  on 
the  pack-horse,  Winant  and  Roberts  mounted  two  oth- 
er horses  and  started  off  ahead ;  but  I  preferred  to  walk, 
for  my  bear  adventure  had  induced  me  to  think  that 
possibly  I  might  get  another  shot.  But  I  saw  nothing 
more  except  a  pine  marten,  which  one  of  the  Indians 
killed  with  a  stick,  and,  after  taking  off  the  skin,  tied  it 
round  my  cap  as  a  sort  of  trophy  for  my  bravery  in 
attacking  a  bear  with  a  shot-gun — an  adventure  which  I 
had  by  that  time  begun  to  consider  as  a  most  reprehen- 
sible act  of  folly. 

I  reached  the  mouth  of  the  Copalis  River  about  sun- 
down, Wd  found  that  Sam  and  Roberts  had  a  tent  pitch- 
ed, a  fine  fire  made,  and  a  nice  supper  ready  cooked.  The 
tent,  by  the  way,  was  not  much  of  an  affair,  being  sim- 
ply a  boat^s  sail  spread  over  a  pole,  and  secured  at  the 
edges  to  keep  it  from  blowing  away ;  but  it  answered 
very  well,  for  all  we  wanted  was  simply  to  keep  off  the 
dew  while  we  slept. 


It 

m 

I: 


/■^4 


if'M 


S.1 


I.  "■ 


I'^H 


;  i! 


vA  :! 


258 


THE  NORTHWEST  COAST;    OK, 


The  Copalis  Biver  is  a  small  stream  that  makes  its 
way  through  the  beach  into  the  Pacific.  The  waves 
constantly  beating  directly  into  its  mouth  have  made 
bars  which  render  it  impossible  for  vessels  to  enter  it, 
and  commercially  the  river  is  of  no  value.  We  did  not 
go  up  the  stream,  but  it  appeared  to  run  for  some  dis- 
tance through  a  prairie,  where  no  doubt  good  farms  could 
be  made.  The  river,  at  its  mouth  and  for  a  mile  up,  is 
about  four  hundred  feet  wide,  with  from  two  to  four  feet 
of  water  at  low  tide.  Like  all  the  streams  on  the  coast, 
it  was  a  favorite  resort  for  salmon,  but  at  the  time  we 
were  there  they  had  not  commenced  running.  The  na- 
tives, however,  had  been  catching  great  quantities  of  fish 
like  the  sculpin,  which  they  impaled  on  sticks  and  roastj- 
ed  by  the  hre.  We  tried  some,  and  found  them  sweet 
and  good.  These  Indians  were  very  hospitable,  and  gave 
us  plenty  of  such  food  as  they  had. 

A  party  of  Indians  now  arrived  from  Queniult,  con- 
sisting of  Haitlailth  or  John,  with  two  of  Kape's  sons, 
and  a  lot  of  squaws,  who  were  going  a  short  distance 
farther  for  the  purpose  of  cutting  rushes  for  making  mats. 
John  and  his  wife,  and  Kape's  boys,  immediately  con- 
cluded to  return  with  us  to  Queniult  the  next  morning. 

Sam  and  Roberts  now  declared  their  intention  of  go- 
ing no  farther,  but  insisted  on  dividing  the  provisions 
with  me,  and  said  they  intended  to  turn  back  that  very 
night,  and,  as  it  was  bright  and  clear,  they  would  reach 
Gray's  Harbor  by  midnight,  as  they  could  easily  trot 
their  horses  over  the  beach  in  three  hours.  I  tried  to 
dissuade  them,  but  to  no  purpose.  But  now  a  new  dif- 
ficulty arose.  The  It  dians  had  no  idea  of  going  back, 
and  to  prevent  Sam  and  Bob  from  going,  they  drove  all 
the  horses  across  the  river,  under  pretense  of  putting 
them  to  pasture ;  so  we  all  lay  do  ,  n  and  went  to  sleep. 

Early  next  morning  I  took  a  pack-horse,  and,  with  a 


THREE   YEARS   AT   SIlOAL-WATER  BAY. 


259 


dozen  Indians,  started  across  the  river,  and  commenced 
our  journey  along  the  bctach.  About  a  mile  from  the 
river  I  discovered  the  whole  of  the  stern  frame  of  the 
propeller  General  Warren^  which  had  been  wrecked  on 
Clatsop  Spit,  at  the  mouth  of  the  Columbia,  two  years 
previous.  The  strong  current  which  pets  north  from 
the  Columbia  during  the  winter  season  had  drifted  this 
wreck  till  it  was  washed  ashore  forty  miles  from  the  Co- 
lumbia, up  the  coast.  I  have  noticed  on  some  charts 
that  the  current  is  represented  as  setting  south ;  but  I 
have  known  of  a  great  many  boats  and  canoes  which 
have  broke  adrift  in  Shoal-water  Bay,  and  been  carried 
by  the  ebb-tide  out  to  sea,  and  in  every  instance  were 
thrown  ashore  north  of  Shoal-water  Bay,  generally  be- 
tween it  and  Gray's  Harbor,  proving,  together  with  the 
wreck  of  the  General  Warren,  just  mentioned,  the  fact 
that  the  current  always  sets  north  from  the  mouth  of 
the  Columbia. 

As  we  proceeded  on  our  course,  we  found  the  high  land 
approach  much  nearer  the  beach  ;  and  I  also  noticed  that 
the  cliffs,  which  presented  the  same  general  appearance 
as  the  shores  around  Shoal-water  Bay,  were  composed  of 
sandstone  of  various  grades,  some  very  coarse,  and  oth- 
ers as  fine  as  the  best  quality  of  Nova  Scotia  blue  grind- 
stone. After  passing  a  ledge  of  rocks  which  projected 
out  into  the  ocean,  we  stopped  under  a  bluff  to  cwk  our 
breakfast;  and  while  one  was  making  a  fire,  another 
climbed  up  on  the  cliff,  and  procured  some  nice  iU>l:itoea 
from  a  field  or  patch  belonging  to  a  chief  of  the  Copalis 
named  Herkoisk;  and  a  squaw  coming  along  with  a 
back-load  of  dry  salmon,  Rape's  boy  unceremoniously 
helped  himself  to  half  a  dozen,  and  we  soon  had  a  very 
palatable  breakfast.  While  we  were  eating,  I  noticed 
Sam  and  Bob  coming  up  on  horseback.  They  had 
changed  their  minds,  they  said,  and  were  now  going  as 


^■^^ 


I 


•■  li 


260 


THE  NORTHWEST  COAST;    OR, 


ii  I 


•Ik 


far  as  Queniult,  feeling  a  little  pride  about  backing  out 
and  letting  mc  go  on  alone.  I  told  them  they  had  bet- 
ter ride  on,  as  I  had  determined  to  walk ;  so  they  start- 
ed ahead,  and  were  soon  out  of  sight. 

As  we  walked  along,  I  occasionally  went  to  the  top 
of  the  ridge  of  shingle  and  ballast  stones  which  the 
storms  had  piled  up  in  long  rows,  and  through  which,  at 
short  intervals,  water  was  running  in  little  silver  streams. 
I  found  invariably  these  proceeded  from  some  brook, 
whose  mouth  was  stopped  up  by  the  stones,  forming 
dams,  behind  which  little  ponds  had  formed,  whose  clear 
waters  were  well  stocked  with  trout.  There  were  a 
great  many  of  these  brooks  on  the  route,  and  the  Indians 
assured  me  they  were  all  well  stocked  with  beaver  and 
otter.  The  whole  distance  thus  far  had  been  over  the 
hard,  smooth  beach,  with  the  exception  of  crossing  the 
Copalis  River  and  Gray's  Harbor,  and  I  had  walked 
without  any  difficulty.  We  were  now  approaching  Point 
Grenville,  and  the  path  was  a  little  more  difficult,  being 
obstructed  with  stones  and  ledges  of  rock.  We  found 
Point  Grenville  to  be  a  bluff,  rocky  promontory,  rising 
abruptly  from  the  ocean,  into  which  it  extended  a  short 
distance  in  a  semicircular  shape.  A  few  hundred  rods 
from  the  southeast  comer  of  the  Point  were  two  py- 
ramidal rocks,  some  seventy  or  eighty  feet  high,  which 
were  covered  with  innumerable  sea-fowl.  This  point  is 
a  good  place  for  sea-otters,  and  it  is  where  the  Queniult 
Indians  shoot  their  supply. 

There  was  a  very  difficult  trail  over  the  Point,  and 
with  some  little  trouble  we  got  ourselves  and  horse 
over,  though  the  horse  could  hardly  scramble  up  the 
steep  sides,  and  we  had  to  pack  our  luggage  on  our  own 
backs.  From  the  top  of  this  cliff  was  a  fine  view  of  the 
ocean  and  the  shores  that  we  had  passed.  As  it  was  in 
the  cove  at  this  point  where  the  Indians  had  represented 


eing  out 
had  bet- 
ey  Btart- 

the  top 
hich  the 
(^hich,  at 
streams, 
e  brook, 
,  forming 
LOse  clear 
3  were  a 
e  Indians 
javer  and 
over  the 
issing  the 
d  walked 
ing  Point 
ult,  being 
N'e  found 
iry,  rising 
d  a  short 
dred  rods 
I  two  py- 
jh,  which 
8  point  is 
Queniult 


y 


I 


:1      . 


oint,  and 
and  horse 
le  up  the 
1  our  own 
iew  of  the 
J  it  was  in 
epresented 


r 


I 


THREfi  Y£ABS  AT  SHOAL-WATER  BAY. 


263 


5 

IP 


the  stei'iner  was  lying  at  anchor,  I  thought  it  was  time 
to  make  some  further  inquiries ;  but,  on  discovering  the 
marks  of  the  coast  survey,  I  concluded  that  the  steamer 
was  the  United  States  surveying  vessel,  the  "Active," 
Captain  James  Alden ;  and  upon  questioning  the  In- 
dians, they  acknowledged  that  she  was  a  "  Boston  man- 
of-war  fire-ship."  So  far  as  related  to  smuggling,  I  had 
walked  sixty  miles  up  the  beach  for  no  purpose,  but  I 
did  not  regret  having  started,  as  I  had  seen  a  line  of 
coast  which  few,  if  any,  white  men  had  been  over  before. 

Descending  the  north  side  of  Point  Grenville,  I  found 
the  shore  very  bold,  and  the  heavy  rollers  of  the  Pacific 
dashing  with  tremendous  force  against  the  rocks,  al- 
though there  was  little  or  no  wind.  The  cliffs  were  of 
fine  sandstone ;  but,  from  the  impossibility  of  shipping 
the  stone,  it  can  never  be  put  to  any  useful  purpose,  ex- 
cept its  being  occasionally  used,  as  at  present,  to  sharpen 
the  hooks,  knives,  and  axes  of  the  Indians. 

Some  five  miles  farther  north  we  came  to  the  mouth 
of  the  Queniult  Eiver,  and  shortly  reached  the  village, 
which  is  pleasantly  situated  on  the  south  bank  of  the 
stream,  near  its  mouth.  The  entrance  to  the  Queniult 
is  so  badly  blocked  up  with  stones  and  gravel,  piled  up 
by  the  waves,  that  it  is  difficult  of  entrance  except  for 
canoes,  and  only  for  these  during  calm  intervals ;  but, 
once  in  the  river,  and  it  is  found  to  be  a  beautiful  little 
stream.  The  stopping  of  its  mouth  has  caused  the  for- 
mation of  a  pretty  little  bay,  whose  waters  are  as  pure 
as  crystal.  Early  in  the  spring,  a  species  of  small  salmon 
enter  this  river,  which  are  justly  celebrated  among  all  the 
Indians  for  their  superior  richness  of  flavor.  This  varie- 
ty is  from  fourteen  to  twenty  inches  in  length,  rarely  ex- 
ceeding two  feet,  and  weighs  from  five  to  ten  pounds. 
Its  general  appearance  is  similar  to  the  Columbia  River 
salmon,  but  it  never  attains  a  larger  size  than  that  just 


■;;|j:#»| 


:^i 


iii^.4 


1 

lf] 

*! 

\\ 


i: 

:'( 

i 

.-i 

I  '1 


(    ' 


264 


THE  NORTHWEST  COAST;   OB, 


mentioned,  while  in  the  Columbia  fish  weighing  eighty 
pounds  are  not  uncommon. 

The  Queniult  Indians  take  these  fish  principally  by 
means  of  weirs,  which  they  build  ^rith  a  great  deal  of 
skill,  and  also  by  spears  and  hooks.** 

I  found,  on  my  arrival,  that  my  firiends  Sam  and  Bob- 
erts  had  rested  themselves,  while  I  began  to  feel  the  ef- 
fects of  my  three  days*  promenade.  I  told  them  what  I 
had  discovered  about  the  smuggling  steamer,  and  we  had 
a  hearty  laugh  about  it.  I  now  questioned  the  Indians 
about  the  coal,  and  they  said  some  Indians  from  the 
north  brought  it  to  them.  I  knew  better  than  to  believe 
such  a  tale,  as  Indians  are  not  generally  in  the  practice 
of  carrying  about  lumps  of  coal  or  any  other  geologic- 
al specimens.  So  I  told  them  they  had  procured  the 
coal  from  the  steamer  Active,  which  at  first  they  had  de- 
nied, but  finally  acknowledged,  and  thought  the  whole 
afiair  was  a  good  joke.  They  had  devised  the  plan  for 
the  purj  ,  'e  of  getting  us  to  visit  tiiem,  as  they  had  tried 
every  inducement  to  prevail  on  me  to  go  to  Queniult  for 
a  long  time  without  success. 

As  we  found  no  chance  of  any  farther  discovery  in  that 
vicinity,  it  was  proposed  to  return  the  next  day ;  but  I 
had  taken  a  severe  cold  in  my  face,  which  was  badly 
swelled,  and  caused  me  much  pain.  Accordingly,  my 
two  companions  left  the  next  morning,  while  I  preferred 
to  remain  till  I  felt  better.  I  had  been  invited  by  Kape 
to  stop  in  his  lodge,  and  every  attention  was  shown  me. 
A  bed  was  made  up  of  a  quantity  of  new  mats,  over 
which  I  spread  my  blankets,  and  contrived  to  make  my- 
self pretty  comfortable ;  but  my  face  continuing  to  swell, 


*  Whenever  I  mnke  mention  of  catching  salmon  hy  hooks,  it  should 
he  understood  that  these  are  large  hooks,  which  are  used  as  a  gaff',  and 
not,  as  many  might  suppose,  with  bait.  The  Indians  never  attempt  to 
catch  salmon  with  a  baited  hook. 


"■'■p 


THREE  YEARS  AT   SHOAL-WATER  BAT. 


265 


\'.''  I 


;  eighty 

jally  by 
deal  of 

aid  Rob- 
b1  the  ef- 
n  what  I 
d  we  had 
3  Indians 
from  the 
to  believe 
e  practice 
geologic- 
>cured  the 
ey  had  de- 
the  whole 
lo  plan  for 
had  tried 
leniult  for 


I  asked  the  Indians  to  give  im  some  remedies  of  their 
preparing. 

One  of  the  squaws  then  went  out  and  gathered  some 
herbs,  which  were  burned  to  a  cinder  and  mixed  with 
grease,  with  which  she  anointed  my  face  till  I  was  as 
black  as  an  Ethiopian. 

While  I  lay  in  this  uncomfortable  manner,  old  Car- 
cowan  arrived,  with  a  slave  named  Pohks,  who  was  fool- 
ish, and  who  afforded  much  fun  to  the  Indians  by  im- 
itating war -dances  and  sundry  specimens  of  buffoon- 
ery. 

Carcowan  soon  had  a  crowd  around  him  in  the  lodge, 
when  they  commenced  gambling,  and  kept  it  up  all  day 
and  nearly  all  night. 

I  noticed  that  Carcowan  was  making  some  proposition 
to  the  rest  which  did  not  appear  to  meet  with  their  ap- 
probation ;  and,  although  I  did  not  understand  the  lan- 
guage he  was  using,  yet  his  frequent  repetition  of  the 
word  squintum^  or  white  man,  made  me  certain  he  was 
talking  about  me.  However,  he  made  no  impression  on 
his  auditors,  and  presently  he  got  up  in  a  rage  and  went 
off  home.  I  then  questioned  Peter  and  CI  tl  eas,  who 
were  in  the  lodge,  and  they  stated  tl-at  Carcowan  was 
proposing  to  the  Queniults  to  kill  Sam,  Bob,  and  my- 
self, for  the  reason  that  Governor  Stevens  had  hung  some 
acquaintances  or  friends  of  theirs  at  Nea.^aally,  and  also 
because  Sam  had  fired  at  Caslahhano  But  the  Queni- 
ults told  Carcowan  they  would  have  nothing  to  do  with 
any  such  business,  and  redoubled  their  attentions  to  me. 

I  had  not  seen  how  my  face  looked,  and  on  asking  for 
a  glass  they  all  began  to  laugh,  and  so  did  I  when  I  saw 
myself.  I  at  once  got  some  water  and  washed  off  the 
mess,  and,  having  found  some  cooling  leaves,  bound 
them  on  my  face  and  reduced  the  swelling. 

The  third  day  I  felt  well  enough  to  start  for  home, 

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266 


THE  NORTHWEST  COAST*,    OR, 


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but  first,  at  their  request,  went  up  the  river  ten  or  fifteen 
miles,  and  visited  several  lodges.  I  found  plenty  of 
white  pipe-clay,  and  the  Indians  make  use  of  it  to  paint 
or  whitewash  the  interior  of  some  of  their  lodges,  and 
then,  with  red  ochre  and  charcoal,  they  make  hideous 
drawings  of  whales,  salmon,  bears,  or  any  other  animal 
they  wish  to  illustrate.  This  whitewashing  process  is 
by  no  means  a  general  onCj  although  it  is  certainly  a 
great  improvement. 

Although  the  Queniult  is  a  very  beautiful  stream,  it 
does  not  present  any  thing  very  attractive  to  the  white 
settler,  and  I  doubt  if  any  person  locates  there  for  a  long 
time  to  come.  Farther  in  the  interior  is  a  fine  sheet  of 
water  called  Queniult  Lake,  around  which,  1  have  been 
informed,  is  some  excellent  land ;  but,  as  I  did  not  go 
up  there,  I  can  not  speak  from  personal  experience. 

Many,  if  not  all  the  young  Indians  on  the  river  never 
had  seen  a  white  person  before,  and  they  were  as  wild 
and  shy  as  deer.  I  found  that,  like  all  the  other  Indian 
children  I  had  met  with,  they  were  very  fond  of  boiled  rice 
and  sugar,  and  as  I  had  some  of  both,  I  managed  in  a 
short  time  to  gain  the  good-wiU  of  the  children,  and  by 
the  aid  of  some  plugs  of  tobacco  made  friends  with  the 
parents. 

In  Kape's  lodge  were  four  families :  his  own,  John  or 
Haitliith's,  Wahmalsh,  Kape's  oldest  son,  and  another, 
whose  name  I  did  not  learn. 

Kape  had  some  ten  or  twelve  children — a  most  re- 
markable occurrence,  as  these  Indians  are  not  prolific, 
rarely  having  more  than  three  or  four. 

Kape's  wife  caused  great  envy  by  her  numerous  prog- 
eny, and  was  called  in  derision  Squintoo^  or  the  Hen 
Partridge.  Her  eldest  son  was  married,  and  her  youn- 
gest son  was  but  three  weeks  old,  and  the  intermediate 
children  were  all  ages  from  two  to  eighteen.     She,  how- 


THREE  YEARS  AT  SHOAL-WATER  BAY. 


267 


ever,  did  not  knpw  their  ages,  for,  like  the  rest  of  the 
Indians  on  the  Coast,  they  never  keep  an  account  of 
any  person's  age.  John's  wife  had  two  childien,  and 
thought  herself  very  well  ofiF.  The  rest  of  the  families 
had  no  c^iildren,  but  there  were  quite  enough. 

Kape's  oldest  daughter  was  about  sixteen  years  of 
age,  and,  for  an  Indian,  was  quite  pretty,  but  she  was  as 
wild  as  a  fox.  Her  mother  told'her  to  hand  me  some 
rice  one  day  while  I  was  sick,  and  just  as  she  reached 
me  a  plate  John's  wife  said  something,  when  she  dropped 
the  rice,  breaking  the  plate,  and  rushed  out  of  the  lodge. 
I  did  not  see  her  again  while  I  remained.  The  rest 
burst  into  a  regular  gale  of  merriment,  and  finally  John 
told  me  that  his  wife  told  the  girl  I  had  come  to  buy 
hei"  of  her  father,  which  was  the  cause  of  the  sudden 
fright.  I  could  not  blame  her  much,  for  my  face,  painted 
over  with  grease  and  soot,  did  not  look  very  attractive. 

This  village  was  composed  of  five  lodges,  to  each  of 
which  was  a  small  inclosure,  where  they  raised  most 
excellent  potatoes.  The  lodges  were  made  of  cedar 
boards,  similar  in  all  respects  to  those  lodges  of  Shoal- 
water  Bay,  and  were  remarkably  well  built,  and  very 
clean.  On  the  bank  of  the  river  they  had  erected  a  huge 
flag-staff,  from  the  top  of  which  a  red  shirt  was  flutter- 
ing, as  a  rude  imitation  of  the  flags  of  th**,  white  men 
they  had  seen  either  at  Vancouver's  Island  or  at  the  Co- 
lumbia River.  Between  the  lodges  and  the  sea-beach 
was  a  large  canoe,  in  which  were  the  remains  of  some 
dead  person,  and  the  diflferent  colored  blankets  and  cal- 
icoes hung  round  gave  the  place  an  appearance  of  cloth:  ^! 
hung  out  to  dry  on  a  washing  day. 

The  morning  we  were  to  start,  Kape  went  out  and 
shot  a  fine  fat  laccoon,  which  was  cleaned  and  boiled  in  a 
large  iron  kettle ;  John's  wife  baked  some  bread  in  the 
ashes ;  another  squaw  boiled  a  mess  of  salmon  and  po- 


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THE  NORTHWEST  COAST;    OK, 


tatoes ;  Rape's  wife  dug  up  a  bushel  of  potatoes,  and 
put  them  in  a  new  basket ;  and  another  squaw  brought 
in  a  fine  salmon  trout  and  roasted  it.  I  watched  all  this 
proceeding  without  knowing  what  was  to  be  done  with 
it,  but  found,  on  going  to  the  canoe,  that  it  was  for  me 
and  my  two  Indians,  and  was  already  firmly  secured  in 
the  canoe,  so  as  not  to  fall  out  if  she  should  happen  to 
capsize. 

Some  of  the  tribe  who  were  going  to  Gray's  Harbor 
agreed  to  keep  us  company,  and  accordingly  launched 
two  canoes,  one  of  which  contained  twenty  persons,  and 
the  other  ten — men,  wo  nen,  children,  and  slaves ;  and 
among  the  latter  was  I  ohks,  Carcowan's  fool,  who  had 
been  left  when  Carcowan  returned  home.  It  was  early 
in  the  morning  when  we  started,  and,  as  the  tide  was 
nearly  out,  we  went  over  the  breakers  without  any  diffi- 
culty. It  was  a  lovely  morning.  Not  a  breath  of  air 
was  stirring,  and  the  water  was  as  smooth  as  oil,  with 
the  exception  of  the  line  of  breakers  on  the  beach.  The 
canoe  I  was  in  was  quite  small,  and  contained  Cletheas, 
who  steered,  Peter,  who  sat  in  the  bow,  and  myself.  I 
had  nothing  to  do  but  sit  still,  or  lie  down  in  the  bottom 
of  the  canoe  as  ballast.  She  was  a  mere  cockle  of  a 
thing,  and  yet  we  were  about  to  travel  sixty  miles  down 
the  coast  in  her ;  but  I  had  every  confidence  in  the  skill 
of  the  Indians,  and  was  not  afraid  to  venture  where  they 
did.  We  soon  doubled  the  bluff  of  Point  Grenville,  and 
I  noticed  that  the  Indians  were  all  heading  in  toward  the 
beach  instead  of  proceeding  j,t  once  to  Gray's  Harbor. 
I  asked  the  Indians  why  they  were  going  ashore,  and  re- 
ceived for  reply  the  invariable  "^Zo-was,"  or,  "  I  don't 
know ;"  u  term  which  is  fully  as  expressive  and  as  often 
used  as  the  Mexican  Quien  sabe.  After  we  were  all  land- 
ed, it  appeared  that  the  Indians  were  going  to  have  some 
birds ';  so,  hauling  up  the  largest  carioe  on  t]^-  beach. 


;s,  and 
rought 
all  this 
le  with 
for  me 
ared  in 
jpen  to 

Harbor 
lUnched 
ns,  and 
is;  and 
;'ho  had 
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ide  was 
ny  diffi- 
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oil,  with 
h.    The 
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self.     I 
5  "bottom 
kle  of  a 
es  down 
the  skill 
ere  they 
rille,  and 
ward  the 
Harbor. 
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all  land- 
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THREE  TEABS  AT  SHOAL-WATfiR  BAY. 


271 


they  put  all  the  effects  into  her,  and,  taking  the  other 
two  canoes  and  my  gun,  started  off  for  the  rocks.  They 
were  gone  nearly  an  hour,  and,  when  they  returned, 
brought  with  them  thirty  half-fledged  loons — which  were 
the  size  of  ducks,  and  very  fat — and  five  pelicans. 

During  the  time  they  had  been  absent,  the  women — 
who,  with  the  children,  remained  behind — had  built  a 
large  fire  of  dry  limbs  and  dri^t  stuff,  and  heaped  a  pile 
of  stones  on  top  of  the  burning  pile,  and  by  the  time  the 
birds  had  been  prepared,  which  was  by  simply  removing 
the  entrails,  the  fire  had  burned  down,  leaving  nothing 
but  hot  ashes  and  stones.  On  to  these  some  fern  leaves 
were  laid,  and  on  the  ferns  the  birds  were  placed.  A 
bucket  or  two  of  water  was  dashed  over  the  whole,  and 
the  heap  then  covered  as  quick  as  possible  with  mats 
and  blankets,  and  sand  heaped  over  all  to  keep  in  the 
steam. 

In  about  half  an  hour  the  pile  was  opened,  and  the 
birds  taken  out  thoroughly  cooked.  The  skin  and  feath- 
ers readily  came  off,  and  I  thought  the  flavor  of  the  birds 
thus  cooked  was  excellent.  As  it  was  scarcely  noon 
when  we  had  finished,  I  supposed  we  should  at  once  pro- 
ceed, and  get  as  far  as  the  Copalis  River ;  but  the  In- 
dians had  no  such  intention,  but  preferred  rolling  round 
on  the  sand  in  the  hot  sun.  There  was  very  little  wind 
all  that  day,  and  at  night  we  had  the  full  moon  and  a 
cloudless  sky  to  enliven  the  scene.  We  had  done  very 
well  for  lazy  folks,  having  progressed  six  miles  on  our 
journey. 

The  next  morning  we  were  all  up  and  started  on  our 
course  just  as  the  day  dawned,  and  as  the  wind  was  still 
calm  and  the  water  smooth,  I  hoped  we  should  go  direct 
to  Gray's  Harbor,  which  I  could  have  reached  in  a  whale- 
boat,  with  four  men  to  pull  her,  in  a  few  hours ;  but  as 
we  approached  the  Copalis  B.iver,I  saw  they  again  head-' 


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272 


THE  NORTHWEST  COAST;    OR, 


ed  in  for  the  ^leach,  at  the  place  where  the  ledge  of  rocks 
irake  out  that  I  noticed  while  coming  up. 

The  coast  runs  off  at  this  place  quite  sue  !'^"t:iy,  and  the 
heavy  ground  swells  which  were  now  rolling  in  from  the 
northwest  dashed  up  on  the  beach  in  a  manner  not  at 
all  calculated  to  inspire  any  confidence  or  desire  to  go 
among  them.  This,  it  appeared,  was  the  only  place 
where  they  could  land,  for  here  the  sea  broke  directly  on 
the  beach  with  one  huge  breaker ;  while  farther  along, 
both  north  and  south,  where  the  water  was  shoal,  the 
breakers  extended  out  a  great  way,  making  it  pretty 
certain,  if  the  first  one  was  passed  in  safety,  that  the  ca- 
noe would  be  capsized  in  some  of  the  others  before  siie 
could  reach  the  shore.  I  asked  them  what  they  wanted 
to  go  ashore  there  for.  I  had  enough  of  delay  the  day 
before,  during  the  bird  expedition,  and  had  no  wish  to 
pass  another  day  idle  on  the  beach ;  but  it  appeared  they 
were  afraid  there  was  going  to  be  a  blow.  I  had  been 
amusiri,^  in)  self  by  sticking  my  paddle  through  the  jelly- 
fish, w'^Icb  vere  very  plenty,  and  that  was  a  bad  omen, 
and  a  certain  sign  of  wind ;  go  ashore  they  would,  and 
haul  the  canoes  through  the  breakers.  I  was  vexed, 
for  I  did  not  see  how  we  were  going  through  that  heavy 
surf  with  only  our  little  paddles ;  but  I  could  not  help 
myself,  so  I  sat  down  and  braced  myself  as  firmly  as  I 
could,  and,  having  lit  my  pipe,  waited  to  see  the  result. 
The  first  canoe  got  ashore  in  admirable  style,  but  the 
next  one,  which  was  the  largest,  did  not  succeed  so  well. 
The  Indians  were  too  sure ;  and,  while  laughing  at  me  for 
being  afraid,  they  were  caught  by  a  huge  roller  and  pitch- 
ed end  over  end,  sending  every  thing  flying.  Men,  wom- 
en, and  children  were  swimming  for  the  shore,  and  mats, 
blankets,  paddles,  and  every  thing  that  could  float  drift- 
ing round  in  great  confusion.  They  were  all,  however, 
hauled  out  safely  on  the  beach,  where  they  were  spread 


i  II 


111  liiFIIli!  lEWli ,. 


THREE  YEAKS  AT  SHOAL-WATER  BAY. 


273 


round  to  dry,  while  the  men  hauled  up  the  canoe,  to  bail 
out  the  sand  and  water  with  which  she  was  filled,  and 
get  ready  for  another  start. 

It  was  now  our  turn ;  but  Peter  and  Cletheas,  feeling 
a  little  skittish  at  the  sight  of  the  other  canoe,  were  very 
cautious,  and  let  several  waves  pass  under  us  without 
iittempting  to  go  ashore.  At  last  a  huge  roller  coming 
in,  we  started  on  the  top  of  it,  a ^  'y  paddling  with 
all  our  might,  kept  on  the  ere:  thrown  some 

twenty  feet  up  on  the  beach  wii  bbling  foam. 

The  other  Indians  who  were  ashoiv  ciioou  ready  to  catch 
us  as  we  struck  the  sand,  and  ran  us  up  high  and  dry 
out  of  the  reach  of  the  waves. 

While  we  were  getting  ready  for  another  start,  Cas- 
lahhan  came  riding  up,  bringing  the  skin  of  the  bear  I 
had  shot  while  going  up  the  beach.  He  said  he  had 
found  her  lying  just  on  the  edge  of  the  brush  into  which 
she  had  run  when  I  shot  her.  It  was  a  very  large  and 
fine  skin,  jet  black,  and  as  big  as  a  bullock's  hide.  This 
skin  I  placed  in  the  bottom  of  the  canoe,  and  it  made  a 
capital  seat. 

We  now  were  ready  to  start,  and  our  progress  was 
altogether  of  a  novel  character  to  me.  We  pushed  out 
into  the  breakers,  and  then,  keeping  between  the  line  of 
two  seas  that  had  broken  on  the  beach,  shoved  the  canoe 
along  through  the  surf  with  poles.  I  was  astonished  to 
see  how  dexterous  these  Indians  were,  although  at  first 
I  could  scarcely  keep  from  being  pitched  out  at  every 
time  a  sea  struck  us,  but  soon  got  used  to  it ;  and  we 
pushed  on  merrily  till  we  reached  the  Copalis  River, 
where  we  stopped  to  take  breakfast  and  to  wait  for  the 
others,  who  could  not  get  along  so  fast  as  we  did,  their 
canoes  being  large  and  heavy,  and  only  two  men  in  each, 
all  the  others,  with  the  women  and  children,  walking  down 
the  beach,  carrying  their  efTccts  on  their  backs,  which 

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274 


THE  NORTHWEST  COAST;   OB, 


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they  prefer  to  do,  both  to  lighten  the  canoes,  and  to  keep 
their  things  from  getting  ivet. 

We  stopped  at  Copalis  an  hour  or  two,  and,  after  get- 
ting rested  and  refreshed,  again  started  for  another  jaunt 
through  the  surf.  I  asked  the  bojs  to  go  outside  the 
breakers,  as  the  water  was  smooth  and  there  was  no  wind, 
but  they  would  not,  for  they  were  afraid  of  a  blow,  but 
there  was  not  the  slightest  indication  of  wind  from  any 
quarter.  So  on  we  went,  jolting,  and  tumbling,  and  roll- 
ing till  noon,  when  we  hauled  the  canoe  up  and  took 
some  dinner.  We  had  kept  a  long  way  ahead  g£  the 
others,  and  waited  for  them.  During  this  time  a  strange 
Indian  and  a  boy  came  up,  the  former  dragging  a  fine 
salmon,  which  he  had  killed  in  the  surf.  This  he  sold 
me  for  a  couple  of  charges  of  powder,  and  now  I  had^ 
plenty  of  provision. 

As  we  approached  Gray's  Harbor  we  found  that  the 
water  grew  smoother,  and  at  last  found  ourselves  going 
through  a  narrow  passage,  quite  inside,  and  out  of  the 
reach  of  the  breakers.  The  sands  at  the  north  entrance 
to  Gray's  Harbor  extend  out  a  great  way,  and  at  low 
tide  it  is  a  long  and  very  tedious  passage  round  the  Point ; 
but  fortunately  there  is  this  narrow  passage  I  mentioned 
through  the  sands,  which  the  Indians  avail  themselves 
of  at  low  water,  and  which  is  an  excellent  and  safe  place 
to  pass  through  with  canoes. 

The  banks  of  this  passage  were  full  of  quahang  dams, 
and  we  shortly  had  a  bushel  of  them.  When  judging 
that  I  had  enough  to  make  a  feast  of  fat  things,  we  push- 
ed ahead,  and  arrived  in  Gray's  Harbor  just  after  sun- 
down, and  went  ashore,  where  we  soon  built  a  fire  among 
the  drift-logs  on  the  beach,  and,  by  the  light  of  the  moon, 
brought  our  things  up  from  the  canoe.  The  others  short- 
ly arrived  and  joined  us,  when  I  borrowed  a  kettle  from 
one  of  the  squaws,  and  Boon  had  a  fine  supper  cooking 


THBEE  TEABS  AT  SHOAL-WATEB  BAT. 


275 


for  the  whole  party.  There  was  boiled  rice  and  boiled 
salmon,  boiled  and  roast  potatoes,  roast  salmon,  roasted 
crabs  and  clams,  cold  raccoon,  dried  salmon,  seal  oil  and 
whale  oil,  to  say  nothing  of  hard  bread,  a  pudding  made 
from  boiled  flour,  and  tea  made  from  a  species  of  huckle- 
berry leaves. 

Pepper  and  salt  were  of  no  use  to  this  party,  but  the 
tea  and  the  savages  were  sweetened  up  by  the  applica- 
tion of  some  five  or  six  pounds  of  sugar,  which  my  friend 
Sam  had  kindly  bestowed  on  me  when  he  divided  the 
provisionp  After  we  had  eaten,  we  amused  ourselves 
by  setting  Pohks  dancing  till  he  was  tired,  when  we  all 
went  to  sleep  among  the  logs  on  the  beach.  It  was  tru- 
ly a  magnificent  night ;  not  a  cloud  was  to  be  seen,  and 
the  moon  and  stars  shone  out  with  a  peculiarly  brilliant 
light,  while  the  screaming  of  the  gulls  and  plover  made 
it  appear  almost  like  day.  I  awoke  about  three  o^clock 
in  the  morning,  just  as  day  began  to  dawn.  The  moon 
was  still  looking  down  with  her  great,  broad  face ;  but 
I  had  no  time  for  reveries  or  poetic  imaginings,  for  the 
tide  had  now  nearly  reached  our  sleeping  quarters,  hav- 
ing come  up  unusually  high ;  and  in  a  few  minutes  more 
a  swash  of  the  sea  put  out  the  remtdns  of  our  watch-fire, 
and  waked  up  all  hands ;  and  by  the  time  it  was  begin- 
ning to  ebb,  we  were  all  ready  for  a  start.  The  Indians 
firom  Queniult,  having  only  to  cross  the  Bay,  where  their 
friends  resided,  now  left  us ;  and  soon  after  we  left  for 
the  mouth  of  the  Bay.  We  passed  close  by  the  sand 
island  where  the  schooner  Willemantic  was  wrecked; 
but  she  had  been  got  off  the  preceding  summer.  The 
island  is  nothing  more  than  a  bank  of  sand  at  the  en- 
trance to  the  harbor,  bare  at  all  times  of  tide,  and  cov- 
ered with  logs  and  driftwood. 

As  we  neared  Armstrong's  Point,  we  saw  Tleyuk,  Car- 
cowan's  son,  coming  down  the  beach  on  horseback.    He 


■iV 


*^i^i 


/ 


%< 


276 


THE  NORTHWEST  COAST;    OR, 


advised  Cletheas  and  Peter  to  go  outside  of  the  break- 
ers, as  the  weather  was  so  calm.  This  movement  I  con- 
curred in,  for  I  was  tired  of  pounding  along  through  the 
breakers ;  accordingly,  we  watched  an  opportunity,  and 
went  through  the  surf  clear  outside  of  all. 

By  this  time  the  sun  had  risen,  and  the  prospect  was 
very  fine.  We  paddled  off  a  mile  from  the  beach,  and 
had  a  fine  view  of  Mount  Olympus,  near  Puget  Sound, 
the  Cathlapoodle  Mountains,  Mount  St.  Helen's,  the  Sad- 
dle-back Mountain,  and  Cape  Disappointment.  The 
summits  of  the  three  first  were  white  with  snow,  and, 
contrasting  with  the  dark  green  foliage  of  the  forests  of 
spruce  and  fix,  looked  magnificently.  »   -        :;>k  * 

A  slight  breeze  now  springing  up,  we  hoisted  a  blank- 
et for  a  sail,  and  then  sat  down  to  breakfast  on  the  re-^ 
mains  of  our  last  night's  supper.  ■  ^  ■  ^    ^^ 

As  the  sun  got  up  in  the  heavens,  the  breeze  died 
away,  and  at  last  fell  dead  calm,  leaving  us  no  other  al- 
ternative but  to  take  to  our  paddles.  We  took  our  time, 
and  went  along  leisurely,  as  the  sun  was  very  warm, 
and,  reflecting  firom  the  glassy  surface  of  the  water,  made 
it  very  uncomfortable. 

About  noon  we  crossed  th'*  bar.  The  water  was  as 
smooth  as  oil,  with  no  appea  e  of  any  breakers  except 
directly  on  the  beach ;  and  ux  an  hour  more  we  landed 
safe  and  sound  at  vaj  house  on  the  Querquelin. 


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THBEE  YEABS  AT  SHOAL-WATEB  BAY.  277 


CHAPTER  XVI. 

Arrival  of  Winant  and  Roberts. — An  Election. — Our  first  Justice, 
Squire  Champ. — ^Big  Charley. — First  Court  in  the  Bay. — Constable 
Charley  makes  an  Arrest. — A  Trial,  and  a  celebrated  Verdict. — 
Another  Arrest  and  Trial. — Joe  locked  up  in  a  Hen-house. — First 
Vessel  built  in  the  Bay. — Bruce  Company. — Uncle  Ned. — Captain 
John  Morgan. — Monument  of  Oyster  Shells  to  Russell. — Hay-e-mar. 
— A  Trip  up  the  Whil-a-pah  for  Salmon. — Walter's  Point. — Sraa 
Woodward's  Claim. — Roaring  Bill. — ^Ancient  Mariners. — Old  Chille- 
wit. — Night  Fishing. — Lively  Time. — Start  for  Home. —  Shoot  a 
Lynx. — Otter  Shooting. — Charley  sees  the  Memelote  or  dead  Folks. 
— Singular  Occurrence. — ^We  get  rid  of  Charley. — First  Trail  from 
the  Cowlitz. — ^Lime-kiln  for  burning  Shells. 

I  WENT  down  the  beach  the  next  day  to  see  my  friends, 
Winant  and  Roberts,  and  learned  from  them  that  they 
were  in  a  very  indifferent  state  of  health.  It  appeared 
that,  after  they  left  Queniult,  they  got  along  very  well 
till  they  reached  the  north  side  of  Shoal-water  Bay,  and 
then  they  had  to  wait,  as  there  was  no  canoe.  For  two 
days  did  they  keep  up  signal-fires,  and  at  last,  just  as 
they  had  finished  their  last  meal,  they  managed  to  at- 
tractthe  attention  of  their  friends  on  the  opposite  side 
of  the  Bay,  who  went  over  in  a  boat  and  took  them  ofi; 

They  were  particularly  chagrined  to  think  that,  during 
the  time  they  were  amusing  themselves  by  making  bon- 
fires, very  much  against  their  will,  an  election  was  tak- 
ing place  which  they  were  very  anxious  to  attend. 

We  had  reached  that  point  in  the  history  of  the  Ter- 
ritory when  we  wei'e  called  upon  to  elect  our  officers  for 
the  Jjegislature  and  the  county.  Now,  this  being  looked 
upon  by  the  oystermen  as  a  farce  (for  what  did  we  want 
of  laws?  we  were  a  law  unto  ourselves),  every  one 
seemed  inclined  to  treat  it  as  such.     So,  among  other 


i/ii-yj,;  '^- 


278 


r 


THE  NORTHWEST  COAST;    OB, 


<?■"'- 


';  I 


*  It 


officers,  thej  had  elected  John  W.  Champ  as  justice  of 
the  peace,  and  Charles  W.  Denter  as  constable. 

Now  Champ  was  a  perfect  character  to  serve  as  a 
justice.  He  had  originally  emigrated  from  Vermont  to 
Wisconsin,  but  when,  the  memory  of  the  oldest  inhab- 
itant did  not  pretend  to  approach,  for  the  oldest  inhab- 
itant was  none  other  than  Champ  himself,  and  he  de- 
clared that  he  was  too  young  to  remember  much.  He 
had  lived  many  years  in  Wisconsin,  and  when  the  emi- 
gration had  first  commenced  to  cross  the  Rocky  Mount- 
ains, he  had  joined  a  party  bound  to  Oregon,  where  he 
resided  several  years,  and  finally  settled  in  Shoal-water 
Bay.  At  this  period  Champ  was  about  sixty-five  years 
old,  tall,  wiry,  and  muscular,  with  an  iron  constitution, 
that  had  withstood  the  rough-and-tumble  of  a  long  bor^ 
der  life.  Like  all  the  rest  of  the  frontier  people,  be  was 
fond  of  Old  Rye,  and,  when  under  its  influence,  was  a 
noisy  and  rough  customer ;  but  when  sober,  was  a  sen- 
sible, common-sense,  kind-hearted  old  fellow,  ready  at 
all  times  to  do  a  good  turn  or  lend  a  helping  hand. 

The  constable,  or  Big  Charley,  as  we  used  to  cf  11  him, 
was  a  good-natured,  lazy  fellow,  who,  from  driving  logs 
on  the  Penobscot  River,  in  the  State  of  Maine,  had  ship- 
ped on  board  a  whaler,  and,  like  some  old  stray  spar  or 
loose  kelp,  had  been  washed  up  into  the  Bay  without 
exactly  knowing  when,  where,  or  how.  Charley  was  an 
excellent  woodsman,  and  could  handle  an  axe  or  build  a 
log  house  with  the  best  man  in  the  Bay.  But  Charley 
preferred  his  ease  and  a  bottle  of  whisky  to  any  thing 
else.  We  4;hought  the  justice  and  constable  would  do 
very  well.  We  had  been  very  peaceable,  having  no  law- 
suits or  bickerings.  K  any  of  the  boys  got  vexed  with 
each  other,  they  would  step  out  and  settle  the  difficulty 
with  a  fist-fight,  and  then  the  trouble  was  over.  But, 
now  that  we  had  a  'squire,  every  one  seemed  anxious 


THREE  TEABS  AT  SHOAL-WATEB  BAY. 


279 


to  bring  him  some  business,  and  it  was  not  long  before 
the  justice  held  iiis  first  court  in  Shoal-water  Bay. 

A  fellow  that  Russell  had  hired  to  take  charge  of  his 
afiairs  while  he  himself  should  go  to  California,  had  been 
found  to  have  stolen  a  small  sum  of  money  from  Rus- 
selL  This  information  was  soon  known  among  the  set- 
tlers, but  there  waa  neither  proof  nor  any  one  to  prose- 
cute. At  length  the  sheriff,  who  was  always  ready  for 
a  joke,  p»tly  in  sport  and  partly  in  e^mest.  wrote  . 
notice  to  the  thief  that  he  must  leave  the  Bay  or  he 
would  be  lynched.  This  paper  was  then  taken  to  Champ 
(who,  although  he  could  sign  his  name,  could  not  see  to 
read  very  well,  having  smashed  his  spectacles  on  a 
frolic),  and  he  was  requested  to  sign  the  "  warrant  for 
arrest."  Champ,  supposing  it  made  out  in  due  form  (for 
the  sheriff  was  a  scholar),  signed  his  name,  and,  calling 
up  Big  Charley,  ordered  him  to  proceed  at  once  and 
arrest  the  offender,  and  have  him  up  for  examination. 
Charley  accordingly  went  to  where  the  fellow  was  re- 
siding, some  two  miles  distant,  and,  being  apprehensive 
that  he  should  meet  with  resistance,  adopted  the  follow- 
ing unique  method  of  arrest :  Walking  in  where  the  chap 
was  sitting,  he  asked  him  very  coolly  for  something  to 
drink.  Bowman  (for  that  was  the  man^s  name)  replied 
that  he  had  nothing.  Well,  says  Charley,  Old  Champ 
has  just  got  a  demijohn  of  first-rate  whisky:  s'pose  we 
walk  down  there  and  get  some.  The  other,  nothing 
loth,  consented,  and  the  pair  walked  down  to  the  squire's. 
The  boys  began  to  collect,  and  at  last  the  squire,  who 
had  been  out  feeding  his  chickens  and  wetting  his  whis- 
tle, came  in  and  took  a  seat. 

**  Order  in  the  court !"  said  he ;  then,  facing  the  pris- 
oner, he  addressed  him  thus :        »     >k'-^  ^^ 

"  Well,  this  is  a  pretty  how-d'ye-do ;  why,  what  have 
you  been  about,  hey  ?"  . 


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280 


THE  NOBtHWEST  COAST;    OR, 


**  What  have  I  been  about?"  asked  Bowman,  with  sur- 
prise; **  nothing  in  particular,  that  I  know  of;  where's 
your  whisky,  squire  ?" 

"  Where's  my  whisky?"  says  the  squire,  now  getting 
into  a  rage ;  "  where's  my  whisky  ?  Don't  you  know 
you're  'rested?  and  do  you  think  to  throw  contempt 
into  my  court  by  asking  for  whisky  ?"       '    » 

**  I  did  not  know,"  replied  the  other,  ^*  that  I  was  ar- 
rested; pray  what  is  the  charge?"  -„,  ,      a-s 
r    "  Why,  you  big  loafer,"  said  Champ  to  the  constable, 
"didn't  you  show  that  paper  to  Bowman?"  vj,,i  ., 

"Yes," growled  Charley,  "I  did." 
.     "I  never  saw  it, "says Bowman:  "let  me  have  it  now." 

Champ  then,  after  expressing  his  disgust  at  Charley  for 
not  attending  to  his  business  in  a  legal  manner,  ordered 
him  forthwith  to  arrest  Bowman,  and  show  him  the  war- 
rant. Charley  then  produced  the  paper,  and  arrested 
the  man  in  the  name  of  the  United  States.  Bowman 
read  it,  and  remarked  that  it  was  more  of  a  lynch-law 
notice  than  a  warrant,  and  then  inquired  of  what  he  wag 

accused.        .        r-      .      ■■■  .'^■,.  ■•i„:  .   i...-ii   ^.r^f.'-   .' fi.-i.  r- -.  ^uii.:■. 

"What  are  you  'cused  of?"  said  Champ,  with  the 
greatest  contempt  for  the  supposed  sham  ignorance  of 
the  prisoner ;  "  why,  you  are  'cused  of  stealing  Mr.  Bus- 
aell's  money."  >..,«;  ;.^^  TNi<,„ 

**  I  should  like  to  know  who  accuses  me,  and  who  are 
the  witnesses  against  me,''  said  Bowman,  who  now  be- 
gan to  think  that  something  serious  was  to  happen. 

"  See  here,  Bowman,"  says  the  'squire,  "  I  don't  want 
any  witnesses ;  and  as  for  who  accuses  you,  why,  I  ac- 
cuse you,  and  every  body  on  the  beach  accuses  you,  and 
you  know  you  are  guilty  as  well  as  I  do :  there  is  no 
use  of  wasting  time  over  this  matter.  I  am  bound  to 
sentence  you,  and  my  sentence  is  x)\au  you  leave  the  Bay 
in  twenty-four  hours,  or  receive  fifty  lashes  if  you  are 


THREE  YEARS  AT  SHOAL-WATER  BAY. 


281 


here  after  that  time.  And  now,  Charley,  do  you  take 
charge  of  the  prisoner :  treat  him  well,  but  if  you  let 
him  escape  we  will  tie  you  up  in  his  stead." 

Some  one  here  remarked  that  Charley  must  have  a 
hard  show  of  it ;  but  the  'squire  replied,  "  Well,  well, 
you  know  what  I  mean.  I  want  that  fellow  out  of  the 
Bay,  and  I  don't  want  Charley  to  let  him  go,  to  be 
prowling  about  this  neighborhood  any  longer." 

The  next  morning  a  schooner  arrived  from  San  Fran- 
cisco, bringing  Hussell,  who  was  soon  made  acquainted 
with  the  affair,  and  Champ  ordered  a  new  trial  to  take 
place,  adding  that,  if  Russell  desired,  they  would  tie  up 
the  offender  and  give  him  a  few  dozen  by  way  of  remem- 
brance. But  Russell  had  no  desire  to  punish  the  fel- 
low any  more ;  so  the  boys,  having  had  their  fun,  as 
they  called  it,  collected  some  money,  which  they  gave  to 
Bowman  to  pay  his  expenses  to  Astoria,  and  started  him 
off,  and  he  was  seen  no  more. 

Thus  ended  the  first  court  ever  held  in  Shoal-water 
Bay,  Chehalis  County,  Washington  Territory.  It  was 
begun  in  a  joke,  but  the  ends  of  justice  were  as  well  or 
better  satisfied  than  if  a  dozen  lawyers  had  been  about 
to  mystify  the  'squire. 

The  next  case  of  theft  that  occurred  the  oystermen 
tried  themselves,  not  caring  to  trust  to  Oii^mp.  A  mis- 
erable loafer  that  had  found  his  way  into  the  Bay,  and 
who  was  known  by  the  name  of  Joe,  was  caught  in  the 
act  of  stealing  a  pair  of  boots  from  the  grocery  store ; 
and  he  was  also  accused  by  Captain  Hillyer  of  setting 
his  boat  adrift.  I  happened  to  be  walking  down  the 
beach  just  as  the  people  had  Joe  into  the  store  to  try 
him,  and  was  invited  to  join.  After  the  charges  were 
made,  Joe  acknowledged  stealing  the  boots,  but  said  he 
knew  nothing  about  the  boat.  He  was  urged  to  confess, 
but  he  persisted  in  his  statement 


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282 


THE  NORTHWEST  COAST;    OR, 


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iiiiiiii 


v. 


Dick  Hillyer  then  proposed  that  Joe  be  tied  up,  and 
his  back  wanned  with  a  rope's  end  to  freshen  up  his 
memory ;  and  we  were  each  requested  to  give  our  views 
on  the  case. 

Now  it  so  happened  that  the  very  night  previous,  old 
Toke  had  started  off  from  his  lodge  in  a  fit  of  rage,  and 
Suis  supposed  he  had  crossed  the  Bay  to  another  lodge 
he  had  at  Tokens  Point,  recently  built ;  and  as  I  had 
passed  down  the  beach,  I  found  all  the  boats  and  canoes 
safe  except  that  one  of  Hillyer*s ;  so  I  concluded  Toke, 
and  not  Joe,  was  the  thief.  I  therefore  suggested  that 
we  put  Joe  into  Champ*s  hen-house,  and  secure  him  till 
some  one  should  cross  the  Bay  and  see  whether  Toke 
had  the  boat  or  not.  -■        ■.  \ 

Now  Champ^s  hen-house  was  not  a  slim  affair,  built  of 
slats,  as  its  name  might  import,  but  was  a  solid  log 
house,  as  strong  as  a  fort. 

Joe  begged  that  he  might  be  put  there  till  he  could 
prove  himself  innocent  of  the  boat  charge.  He  was  ac- 
cordingly incarcerated  among  the  poult^,  and  left  to  his 
own  reflections. 

That  afternoon  Toke  returned,  bringing  back  the  boat 
and  demanding  pay,  which  he  received  from  Dick  in  the 
shape  of  two  dozen  lashes,  well  laid  on  with  a  piece  of 
ratlin-stuff,  and  an  injunction  for  the  future  to  let  the 
white  men's  property  alone.    '  - -ti  ^;  «,-'<  i 

Dick  then  went  to  liberate  Joe,  and  found  him  very 
quietly  engaged  in  sucking  eggs.  This  new  felony  en- 
raged Sc  aire  Champ,  who  was  for  having  Joe  immedi- 
ately flogged ;  but  the  people,  thinking  he  had  been  pun- 
ished enough,  put  him  on  boards  a  boat  bound  to  the 
portage,  and  started  him  out  of  the  Bay,  as  they  had 
done  Bowman.     So  we  freed  ourselves  of  two  thieves. 

During  this  year  Captain  Hillyer  built  and  launched 
the  schooner  Elsie,  a  little  craft  of  twenty  tons.     She 


THBEB  YEABS  AT  BHOAI/-WATEB  BAY. 


283 


was  the  first  vessel  ever  built  in  the  Bay,  and  was 
launched  on  the  12th  day  of  September,  1854.  She  was 
the  second  vessel  owned  in  the  Bay,  the  first  one,  the 
Mary  Taylor,  having  been  purchased  several  months  pre- 
vious by  the  Bruce  Company,  who  used  her  as  a  regular 
packet  to  carry  oysters  to  San  Francisco. 

This  Bruce  Company,  consisting  of  Winant,  Hanson, 
Morgan,  and  Milward,  had  arrived  in  the  Bay  soon  aft- 
er Captain  Fieldsted,  in  1851,  in  the  schooner  Robert 
Bruce,  which  was  set  fire  to  by  the  cook  and  burned  to 
the  water's  edge.  The  Bruce  boys,  as  they  were  then 
called,  went  to  work,  and  soon  earned  enough  to  buy  the 
schooner  Mary  Taylor,  which  was  placed  under  the  com- 
mand of  one  of  their  number.  Captain  Alexander  Han- 
son, familiarly  known  as  Uncle  Ned. 

Captain  Hanson  was  a  North  of  Europe  man,  either 
a  Dane  or  a  Swede,  a  most  excellent  sailor,  and  a  gen- 
eral favorite  with  every  one  in  the  Bay.  Every  body 
liked  Uncle  Ned,  who,  with  his  peculiarities,  was  really 
a  very  worthy  man. 

The  Bruce  Company,  having  been  fortunate,  found 
themselves  able  the  following  season  to  purchase  anoth- 
er fine  schooner,  called  the  Equity,  which  was  command- 
ed by  Captain  John  Morgan,  another  of  the  Bruce  Com- 
pany. Morgan  was  the  real  representative  of  that  class 
of  our  citizens,  the  American  sailor.  An  excellent  nav- 
igator and  se^iman,  frank,  generous,  and  brave,  he,  with 
the  rest  of  his  company,  Hanson,  Mark  and  Sam  Wi- 
nant, and  Dick  Milward,  had  gained  a  reputation  for 
generous  hospitality  that  will  ever  be  remembered  by  the 
early  settlers  in  the  Bay.  Bussell,  who  had  been  large- 
ly engaged  in  the  oyster  trade,  and  who  had  made  ar- 
rangements to  conduct  the  business  still  more  extensive- 
ly, had  met  with  reverses  which  obliged  him  to  relin- 
quish his  plans.    Mia  boose,  too,  like  that  of  the  Brace 


ii   ijiH 


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284 


THE  NORTflWEST  COAST}  OR, 


bojB,  was  always  open ;  his  latch-string  was  never  poll- 
ed in ;  and  though  he  had  peculiar  ways,  which  rendered 
him  somewhat  unpopular,  still  he  was  a  generous  fellow 
at  heart,  and  always  exerted  himself  for  the  welfare  of 
those  in  the  Bay.  He  had  a  sort  of  monomania  for  be- 
ing called  captain,  and  thinking  himself  the  first  discov- 
erer and  settler  in  the  Bay.  But,  as  he  was  actually  the 
first  one  who  introduced  oysters  into  the  market  of  San 
Francisco,  he  will  be  entitled  to  receive  what  the  Cali- 
fornia papers  proposed  to  be  given  to  the  first  who  should 
bring  oysters  to  their  state,  **  a  monument  of  oyster- 
shells  to  his  memory."  ^   .t  ru 

During  the  summer  Captain  Purrington  and  myself 
had  lived  alone,  as  Tokens  people  had  gone  to  live  in 
their  lodge  near  the  house  of  Mr.  Barrows,  near  Toke's 
Point.  Toward  fall,  a  young  Indian  from  Chenook, 
named  Hay-e-mar,  and  by  the  whites  called  Charley, 
came  and  stopped  with  us.  He  was  smart,  active,  in- 
telligent, a  good  carpenter  and  hunter,  and  capable  of 
being  very  useful,  but  he  was  generally  disliked  by  both 
whites  and  Indians.  He  had  learned  aU  sorts  of  sleight- 
of-hand  tricks,  with  which  he  would  astonish  th«°t  young 
Indians,  and  was  regarded  by  the  old  ones  as  a  sort  of  a 
devil.  He  was  continually  at  his  pranks,  and  had,  among 
other  performances,  transferred  a  chest  of  carpenters' 
tools,  belonging  to  a  man  at  Point  Ellice,  on  the  Colum- 
bia, to  Astoria,  where,  on  offering  them  for  sale,  he  was 
detected,  and  fled  to  Shoal-water  Bay,  and  happening  to 
land  at  my  place,  concluded  to  remain,  although  I  told 
him  he  was  not  wanted.  But  he  went  to  work  with  an 
axe,  and  did  great  execution  among  the  trees,  and  soon 
had  so  fine  a  pile  of  firewood  that  the  captain  proposed 
he  should  remain  and  help  us.  Charley  was  vexy  weU 
satisfied,  and,  putting  himself  on  his  good  behavior,  kept 
us  amused  with  his  odd  tricks  and  stories,  and  soon 
gave  us  evidence  of  his  hunting  and  fishing  qualities. 


THREE  YEABS  AT  SHOAL-WATER  BAY. 


285 


One  day  he  came  home  with  the  report  that  salmon 
had  commenced  running  up  the  Whil-a-pah  River,  and 
he  proposed  going  with  me  the  next  day  to  get  some.  I 
had  not  been  up  that  river  before,  and  was  quite  willing 
to  start.  It  was  about  the  iirst  of  October,  and,  although 
the  days  were  warm  and  pleasant,  the  nights  were  quite 
chilly  and  long.  The  next  morning,  after  breakfast,  we 
fitted  ourselves  for  the  expedition,  and  started  in  my 
small  canoe,  Charley  in  the  stern  to  steer,  and  I  with 
my  gun  in  the  bow.  We  soon  reached  the  mouth  of 
the  river,  where  we  found  innumerable  flocks  of  curlew 
and  plover,  but  could  not  get  near  enough  for  a  shot, 
and,  having  a  fair  but  light  wind,  kept  on  our  course. 

The  Whil-a-pah,  at  its  mouth,  runs  tlirough  wide  prai- 
ries, or  tide-lands,  as  they  are  called,  which  are  '■'\i  up 
in  every  direction  by  creeks  and  ditches,  rendering  them 
difficult  of  cultivation.  A  few  miles  up,  the  mountains 
come  to  the  brink  of  the  river,  which  is  here  reduced  to 
a  narrow  pass,  called  the  Narrows,  or  Walter's  Point, 
from  Walter  Lynde  having  taken  a  claim  and  built  a  cot- 
tage there.  A  little  fartlier  up  we  passed  the  claim  and 
clearing  of  Captain  John  Vail,  who  had  erected  a  house 
under  the  shade  of  some  fine  largo  maple-trees,  and  had 
a  nice  farm  cleared  and  planted.  The  river,  although 
narrower  at  this  place,  was  quite  deep,  and  was  naviga- 
ble for  some  miles  farther  up  for  large  vessels. 

The  next  house  and  claim  was  that  of  Samuel  Wood- 
ward, some  six  or  eight  miles  distant  from  Captain  Yail's. 
Here  was  another  evidence  of  industry  and  intelligence 
well  applied.  Mr.  Woodward  had  a  nice  house  built,  and 
a  most  excellent  farm,  and,  with  his  young  wife,  was 
most  comfortably  settled,  and  enjoying  the  respect  and 
confidence  of  the  whole  community.  On  we  went,  and 
shortly  passed  the  farm  and  house  of  Henry  Whitcomb, 
who,  with  Sam  Woodward,  were  the  first  settlers  on  the 


,  i.»" 


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286 


i  ' 


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%  i; 


iii-  ^-. 


THE  NORTHWEST  COAST;    OB, 


rirer.  Next  was  the  claim  of  William  Gushing,  or,  as 
he  was  called,  ** Roaring  Bill;''  for,  as  he  was  some- 
what deaf,  he  spoke  in  an  unusually  loud  tone  of  voice. 
The  next  claims  above  were  those  of  two  old  salts,  Cap- 
tains Crocker  and  Gardiner.  Captain  Gardiner,  how- 
ever, had  gone  to  San  Francisco,  again  preferring  "  a  Hfe 
on  the  ocean  wave"  to  a  ^*  way  across  the  mountains," 
which  it  certainly  was,  to  get  to  his  claim  by  any  means 
except  the  river. 

Above  the  residence  of  the  ancient  mariners  was  still 
another  farm,  that  of  Mark  and  Joe  Bullard,  but  we  did 
not  go  so  far*.        ?  i  .  ,    ,   ,   h;  ,    i-v  of 

It  was  nearly  night  when  we  hauled  up  our  canoe  at 
an  Indian  lodge,  near  Captain  Crocker's  landing.  T^is 
was  occupied  by  old  Chillewit,  a  famous  Indian  doctor, 
and  his  brother  Whilmarlan,  who  had  with  him  two  chil- 
dren, a  little  boy  and  girl,  whose  mother  was  dead,  and 
the  father  was  taking  care  of  them  with  all  the  affection- 
ate tenderness  which  these  Indians  always  show  toward 
their  children.  There  was  no  one  in  the  lodge  but  Chil- 
lewit and  the  two  children,  and  a  slave  girl  named  Mary. 
The  old  doctor  did  not  seem  at  all  gratified  at  seeing 
Charley,  although  he  was  a  relative,  for  he  was  evident- 
ly afraid  of  some  of  his  pranks.  However,  he  told  Mary 
to  give  us  some  supper  of  boiled  salmon,  and  soon  after 
we  lay  down  to  sleep.  r,,.  i^iu  ,    1*?:^  mitm  -p  i  •.  -, 

.  I  was  quite  tired  with  my  trip,  and  expected,  of  course, 
to  sleep  all  night  and  get  rested,  but  Mr.  Charley  had  no 
such  idea.  Whether  he  felt  angry  with  old  Chillewit  or 
not  I  did  not  know,  but  he  evidently  intended  to  leave 
at  once,  and  not  remain  for  three  or  four  days,  as  we  had 
intended.  About  midnight,  as  near  as  I  could  determ- 
ine, he  roused  me  up,  and  said  it  was  time  to  go  fishing. 
It  was  intensely  dark,  as  the  sky  was  overcast  with 
clouds,  and  the  river  being  narrow  at  this  place,  the 


THREE  YEARS  AT  SHOAL-WATBB  BAY. 


287 


great  fir-trises  cast  a  still  deeper  gloom  upon  the  water. 
In  fact,  I  could  not  discern  my  hand  before  my  face ;  I 
was  entirely  blind,  to  all  intents  and  purposes.  Still, 
Charley  insisted  that  he  could  see  well  enough,  and 
guided  me  into  the  canoe,  with  instructions  to  keep  in  the 
stream,  while  he  sat  in  the  bow  to  hook  the  fish.  This 
was  all  very  well  to  talk  about,  provided  I  could  see ; 
but  as,  to  my  blindness,  he  added  the  injunction  not  to 
speak  a  word  for  fear  of  scaring  the  fish,  I  could  not  ask 
which  way  to  go.  So  we  floated  along  with  the  current 
at  a  pretty  rapid  pace  and  in  a  very  uncertain  manner. 

All  at  once  I  received  a  blow  in  the  face  that  nearly 
knocked  me  overboard,  and  caused  a  most  brilliant  dis- 
play of  pyrotechr'os  to  appear  before  my  disordered 
vision. 

"Look  out!"  says  Charley.  "Look  out!"  said  I; 
"why,  I  am  nearly  knocked  out.  Why  did.  you  not 
speak  before  ?  What  was  that  hit  me  just  now  ?"  "  Only 
the  limb  of  a  tree  we  just  went  under,"  said  he.  He 
then  promised  to  speak  when  we  were  about  to  run  afoul 
of  any  more  snags,  and  we  kept  on,  till,  coming  to  some 
deep  water,  he  began  to  find  and  catch  the  fish.  But 
sitting  still  in  the  canoe  had  chilled  me  through,  and  the 
fish,  splashing  and  thrashing  about,  had  covered  me  with 
blood,  and  water,  and  slime,  and  I  told  Charley  I  would 
not  remain  any  longer  for  all  the  salmon  in  the  river. 
He  had  by  that  time  caught  six  splendid  ones ;  and,  be- 
ing quite  as  much  chilled  as  I  was,  he  consented  to  pad- 
dle back  to  the  lodge,  where  I  hoped  to  get  a  nap.  But 
he  had  no  idea  of  such  a  move.  He  merely  brought  our 
blankets  and  things  down,  and,  having  stowed  them, 
shoved  off.  His  excuse  was  that  we  should  save  the 
tide  at  the  mouth  of  the  river ;  but  I  think  the  real  truth 
was  his  being  vexed  with  old  Chillewit,  for  I  never  knew 
an  Indian  before  make  quite  so  much  dispatch. 


''kM 


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288 


THE  NORTHWEST  COAST;   OR, 


14  ^j 


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I 


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So  down  the  river  we  started,  Charley  in  the  bow 
with  the  gun  to  look  out  for  game  and  to  fend  off  from 
snags,  for  it  was  still  dark. 

At  last  the  daylight  appeared,  and  I  could  make  out 
the  course,  although  I  was  nearly  asleep  all  the  time. 
Directly  I  was  roused  by  the  report  of  the  gun  and  a 
splash  in  the  water.  I  then  found  that,  while  I  had  been 
dozing,  Charley  had  spied  out  a  lynx  sitting  on  a  log, 
and,  cautiously  shoving  the  canoe  within  range,  had  shot 
the  creature  directly  between  the  eyes.  This  was  quite 
a  prize,  as  the  Indians  consider  the  lynx  skin  valuable 
for  its  medical  properties. 

I  was  now  wide  awake,  and,  as  the  sun  got  up  over 
the  tops  of  the  trees,  we  felt  quite  comfortable.  In  ,a 
short  time  we  spied  some  otters,  and  made  out  to  get 
two  of  them,  and  considered  ourselves  quite  lucky,  hav- 
ing secured  six  salmon,  one  lynx,  and  two  otters  for  our 
night's  work.  After  washing  ourselves,  and  making  a 
breakfast  on  some  bread  and  cold  salt  pork  we  had 
brought  with  us  the  day  before,  we  took  to  our  paddles, 
and  plied  them  so  effectually  that  we  were  soon  at  the 
mouth  of  the  river,  when,  taking  a  fine  wind,  we  made 
sail,  and  arrived  home  at  noon,  having  been  absent  but  a 
little  over  twenty-four  hours. 

We  were  very  well  satisfied  with  this  specimen  of 
Charley's  services,  and  allowed  him  to  loaf  round  a  lit- 
tle— a  privilege  he  took  such  advantage  of  that  he  soon 
became  a  nuisance.  •     >    ■;■:; 

-  We  tried  every  method  to  get  rid  of  him,  but  to  no 
purpose,  for  we  could  not  drive  liim  out  of  doors,  he  was 
such  a  comical  chap.  But  his  own  superstition  at  last 
induced  him  to  leave.  He  was  possessed  of  the  power 
of  seeing  the  spirits  of  the  dead,  and,  if  he  had  not  been 
so  full  of  mischief,  would  have  been  considered  a  great 
doctor.     One  night,  after  we  had  gone  to  bed,  as  Char- 


■.■'■i^^i^'l 


THREE  YEABS  AT  SHOAL-WATER  BAY. 


289 


ley  ^  lying  before  the  fire,  which  was  burning  bright- 
ly, I  liOticed  our  two  dogs,  which  had  hid  themselves 
under  the  captain's  bed,  come  out  into  the  floor,  jumping 
and  wagging  their  tails  as  if  they  were  rejoiced  at  meet- 
ing some  one.  I  was  up  in  an  instant  and  drove  them 
out  of  the  house,  as  their  services  in  keeping  watch  out- 
side were  of  more  importance  than  their  gambols  inside. 
As  I  closed  the  door,  Charley  said,  with  a  sigh,  "  What 
did  you  speak  for  and  drive  out  those  dogs  ?  Did  you 
not  see  the  memelose f''  "No,"  said  I;  "who  were 
they  ?"  "  They  were,"  he  said,  "  Que-a-quim,  who  had 
died  at  Russell's  of  small-pox,  and  George,  who  had  died 
at  our  house  during  my  absence  in  the  spring  to  Califor- 
nia, and  who  had  been  buried,  a  short  distance  from  the 
house,  in  a  camphor  trunk."  "What  does  he  say?" 
asked  the  captain.  I  explained  what  Charley  said. 
"Ha!  ha!  ha!"  roared  the  old  man;  "memelose,  hey? 
Well,  Charley,  what  did  they  tell  you?"  He  replied, 
they  had  asked  him  what  he  was  doing  there;  that  it 
was  not  his  land,  and  they  did  not  want  him  to  stop 
there. 

This  information  so  pleased  the  captain  that  he  near- 
ly choked  himself  laughing ;  for  he  had  no  faith  in  any 
of  these  superstitions,  and  thought  to  laugh  them  out  of 
the  belief.  Charley  began  to  get  vexed,  and  asked  me 
if  I  had  not  seen  the  dogs  jumping  up.  I  told  him  I 
had.  "Well,"  said  he,  "the  dogs  can  see  the  memelose, 
and  they  were  jumping  round  because  they  were  so  glad 
to  see  their  old  friends  again.'*  I  asked  the  old  man  not 
to  laugh  any  more,  as  it  would  do  no  good  to  make  fun 
of  Charley,  but  I  would  use  this  visitation  of  the  mem- 
elose as  a  means  to  get  rid  of  him  in  a  quiet  manner, 
and  without  giving  him  offense. 

Fortunately,  the  next  day  two  Indians  came  from 
Chenooky  to  whom  I  related  my  desires,  and  they  made 

N 


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vir 


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290 


THE   NORTHWEST  COAST;   OR, 


Charley  believe  that  it  was  necessary  for  him  to  leave, 
which  he  did  that  very  day. 

During  the  month  of  July  a  party  came  down  the 
Eiver  Whil-a-pah,  consisting  of  Messrs.  Warbous,  Shaf- 
fer, Geizey,  Roundtree,  Pearsall,  and  Knight.  They  had 
come  through  from  the  Cowlitz  trail  to  examine  the  land, 
and  discover  if  it  was  of  such  a  nature  as  to  induce  emi- 
gration, as  Mr.  Geizey  was  looking  round  as  agent  for  a 
company  of  farmers,  who  had  emigrated  from  Pennsyl- 
vania to  Wisconsin,  and,  becoming  dissatisfied,  had  sent 
him  to  look  out  a  suitable  place  for  them  to  settle  either 
in  Washington  or  Oregon  Territories,  and,  having  vis- 
ited all  the  most  favorable  localities,  had  at  last  come 
through  with  this  party.  He  reported  that  he  was  so 
well  pleased  with  the  land  on  the  Whil-a-pah  that  he 
should  send  for  his  friends  and  settle  on  the  prairie-lands, 
near  Messrs.  Bullard  and  Captain  Crocker.* 

After  remaining  in  the  Bay  a  few  days,  they  returned 
on  the  17th,  and  were  accompanied  by  some  of  the  set- 
tlers, Seth  Bullard,  Henry  Woodward,  Roaring  Bill,  Doc- 
tor Cooper,  and  Mr.  Russell.  This  was  the  first  trail 
ever  opened  by  the  whites  between  the  Bay  and  the 
Cowlitz  trail.  Dr.  Cooper  and  Mr.  Russell  proceeded 
on  to  Olympia,  while  the  others  returned  by  the  same 
trail  to  finish  blazing  it  out.  It  is  a  rough  and  crooked 
path  at  best,  but  will  answer  till  a  better  road  is  made, 
which  will  probably  be  done  before  long,  as  the  govern- 
ment are  aware  of  the  necessity  of  making  a  military 
road  from  Olympia,  the  seat  of  government,  to  Shoal- 

♦  Mr.  Geizey  shortly  afterward  introduced  the  whole  of  his  party  of 
emigrants,  numbering,  as  I  was  informed,  some  forty  families,  who  have 
now  one  of  the  most  flourishing  settlements  in  Washington  Territory, 
sitiiated  on  or  near  the  Beaufort,  or,  as  it  is  pronounced,  Buftaw  Prai- 
rie, in  the  valley  of  the  Whil-a-pah  River,  and  can  be  reached  either 
from  Shoal-water  Bay  by  the  river,  or  from  the  Columbia  and  interior 
of  the  Territory  by  the  Cowlitz  trail. 


» 


THEEE  YEARS  AT  SHOAL-WATER  BAY. 


291 


water  Bay,  and  thence  to  the  Columbia,  to  enable  troops 
to  communicate  with  the  military  road  from  Astoria  to 
Salem,  the  capital  of  Oregon.  When  a  road  is  built,  so 
as  to  open  a  communication  with  the  interior  of  Wash- 
ington Territory,  it  will  show  some  excellent  farming 
country,  which  at  present  lies  uncultivated,  owing  to  the 
difficulty  of  reaching  it  by  any  trails  now  made. 

I  had  amused  myself  during  the  summer  by  building 
a  kiln  out  of  the  clay  blocks  of  the  cliffs  for  burning  the 
shells  around  our  premises  into  lime,  and,  after  complet- 
ing it,  tried  it  for  the  first  time  just  after  Charley  left, 
and  found  that  the  shells  made  a  very  white  and  strong 
lime ;  but  there  not  being  any  use  for  lihie  in  the  Bay, 
and  the  rainy  season  coming  on  shortly,  I  gave  up  the 
business  till  a  more  favorable  time.  The  shell  of  the 
oyster,  being  thin,  did  not  answer  very  well,  as  there 
was  too  much  sand  and  mud  with  them  in  proportion  to 
the  lime  they  yielded ;  but  the  clolum,  or  hard-shell  clam, 
has  a  very  thick,  solid  shell,  which  yields  a  most  excel- 
lent quality  of  pure  white  lime,  and  is  easily  burned. 
The  absence  of  limestone  in  the  vicinity  will  eventually 
make  the  heaps  and  mounds  of  shells  around  the  Bay  of 
value  to  the  settlers. 


'iyw<:.y 


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miii 


.■•■(  fi)ft 


292 


THE  NOBTHWEST  COAST;    OB, 


/      ♦ 


CHAPTER  XVII. 

County  Line. — Jury  Duty. — United  States  Court  at  Chenook. — The 
Court-house. — Grand  Jury. — Trial  of  Lamley  for  killing  an  Indian. 
— Grand  Jury  Room  very  Fishy. — Witnesses. — Captain  Johnson. — 
His  funny  Address  to  the  Court. — He  throws  himself  on  the  Mercy 
of  the  Court. — Captain  Scarborough. — Bill  Martindill. — The  Cap- 
tain's Advice  to  Bill. — The  District  Attorney  and  his  Address. — 
The  Counsel  for  the  Defense  quotes  from  the  "  Arabian  Nights." — 
He  gains  the  Case.  —  Captain  Johnson's  Vinegar  Speculation. — 
Johnson's  Death."! — Death  of  Captain  Scarborough. — Fidelity  of  an 
Indian  Squaw. — Retuni  home. — Sharp  "Work  in  a  Canoe. — Adven- 
ture with  Caslahhan.  i 

The  place  where  we  liad  built  our  house  was  on  what 
John  Bunyan  would  call  "debatable  ground,"  as  it  was 
claimed  by  the  two  counties  of  Pacific  and  Chehalis.  I 
was  satisfied  that  it  was  in  Chehalis  County,  but  as  the 
line  had  not  been  run,  it  was  a  subject  of  constant  de- 
bate every  time  there  was  any  election  or  any  jury  duty 
to  perform ;  and,  as  this  last  business  is  one  that  most 
people  like  to  get  rid  of,  it  was  found  quite  convenient 
for  our  immediate  neighborhood  to  be  in  either  county 
we  chose. 

As  the  fall  term  of  the  United  States  District  Court 
approached,  the  sheriff  of  Pacific  County  came  over  and 
notified  us  all  to  appear,  either  as  grand  or  petit  jurors. 
I  was  exempt  by  virtue  of  holding  an  office;  but,  as  there 
was  a  great  scarcity  of  people  in  the  county,  I  concluded 
I  would  go,  and  accordingly,  with  Baldt,  who  had  also 
been  chosen,  started  in  my  little  canoe  for  Wilson's 
house,  at  M'Carty's  portage.  It  was  late  in  the  fall, 
and  the  little  canoe  was  hardly  the  thing  to  cross  the 
Bay  in,  but  the  weather  being  fine,  we  ventured  to  try. 


THREE   YEARS   AT   SHOAL-WATER   BAY. 


293 


as  we  intended  keeping  close  in-shore  as  far  as  we  could. 
We  were  very  fortunate,  and  arrived  at  the  portage  early 
enough  to  cross  over  to  M'Carty's  house  by  sundown. 
We  found  Mac  at  home,  and  were  most  hospitably 
received ;  and,  after  a  good  supper  and  a  pipe,  with  a 
plenty  of  anecdotes  from  Mac,  we  turned  in  by  the  fire 
and  had  a  good  sleep.  Mac  was  building  a  new  house, 
his  old  one  and  all  his  winter  provision,  with  every  thing 
movable  he  possessed,  having  been  burned  down  the  pre- 
vious winter,  and  he  was  now  living  in  an  Indian  house 
he  had  hastily  put  up  till  his  new  one  should  be  com- 
pleted. He  said  he  had  a  pretty  hard  summer's  work 
to  scrape  together  enough  for  the  coming  winter. 

The  next  morning  he  carried  us  down  to  the  landing 
at  Dawson's,  where,  bidding  him  good  morning,  we  start- 
ed off  to  walk  over  Chenook  beach.  As  the  court  was 
to  commence  the  next  day,  wc  found  the  little  village 
crowded,  and  every  one  who  had  any  business  already 
there  to  secure  accommodations.  The  first  night  Baldt 
and  myself  slept  in  the  bowling-alley,  and  were  not  very 
well  pleased  with  our  quarters,  but  we  did  pretty  well 
considering  all  things,  and,  having  eaten  a  hearty  break- 
fast, were  prepared  to  enter  on  our  duty  as  jurors. 

The  building  selected  as  a  court-house  was  a  small 
one-story  affair,  measuring  about  twelve  feet  by  fifteen, 
or  somewhere  near  that ;  at  all  events,  it  was  so  circum- 
scribed in  its  limits  that,  when  the  jury  were  seated, 
there  was  barely  room  left  for  the  judge,  clerk  of  the 
court,  and  counsel,  while  the  sheriff  had  to  keep  himself 
standing  in  the  doorway.  The  outsiders  could  neither 
see  nor  hear  till  some  one  suggested  that  a  few  boards 
he  knocked  off  the  other  end  of  the  house,  which  was 
soon  done,  and  served  the  purpose  admirably. 

The  grand  jury  were  tlien  called  in  and  sworn,  and 
the  usual  forms  gone  through.     There  was  nothing  of 


".^ 


ii 


i. 


'    .Vi*i 


294 


THE  NORTHWEST  COAST;    OR, 


importance  on  hand  except  a  case  of  homicide,  and  the 
judge  charged  particularly  on  that  point.  It  was  a 
charge  against  a  resident  of  Chenook  named  Lamley, 
who  was  well  known  to  us  all,  and  who  had  been  the 
former  sheriff.  It  appeared  that  Lamley,  with  other 
white  men,  had  been  to  the  cranberry  marshes  at  Shoal- 
water  Bay  to  trade  with  the  Indians  for  cranberries,  as 
was  the  usual  custom  every  fall.  He  had  taken  a  house 
there  to  trade  in,  but  took  his  meals  at  another  house  a 
short  distance  off.  One  day,  while  going  to  his  dinner, 
a  drunken  Indian  came  up  with  a  club  and  insisted  on 
going  in.  Lamley  pushed  him  away  several  times,  till 
at  last  the  Indian  made  at  him  with  his  club.  This  Lam- 
ley knocked  out  of  his  hand,  and,  seizing  hold  of  a  pad- 
dle that  was  standing  beside  the  door,  he  again  pushed 
away  the  Indian,  who  turned  partly  round,  when  Lam- 
ley struck  him  with  the  paddle.  Unfortunately,  the  edge 
of  the  paddle  hit  the  fellow  on  the  neck,  just  where  the 
spinal  column  joins  the  skull,  and  killed  him  instantly. 
Any  other  person  would  probably  have  done  as  Lamley 
did — that  is,  have  struck  the  Indian  with  the  first  stick 
he  could  have  got  hold  of,  though  perhaps  with  no  such 
fatal  results.  (       '-  ^ 

i  The  counsel  for  the  defense  was  a  former  judge  of  the 
same  court,  and  considered  one  of  the  most  able  lawyers 
in  the  Territory.  The  prosecuting  attorney  was  a  youn- 
ger brother  of  his,  who  was  now  to  make  his  first  attempt 
to  manage  a  criminal  prosecution. 

The  grand  jury,  having  been  ,duly  instructed,  were 
/  marched  into  old  M*Carty's  zinc  house  near  by,  as  that 
was  the  only  unoccupied  place  in  town.  There  were  but 
two  rooms  in  this  house,  one  of  which  contained  several 
hogsheads  of  salt  salmon,  and  all  of  M'Carty^s  nets  and 
fishing-gear,  and  had  certainly  an  "  ancient  and  a  fish- 
like" perfume.     Although  every  one  of  us  were  well  ac- 


THREE  YEARS  AT  SHOAL-WATER  BAY. 


295 


quainted  with  the  smell  of  salmon,  from  partaking  of  it 
every  day  boiled  with  potatoes,  yet  this  was  too  much 
of  a  good  thing ;  but  there  was  no  help  for  it,  so  we  pro- 
ceeded to  business.  Now  a  grand  jury  are  presumed  to 
do  their  business  in  a  very  quiet  manner,  and,  to  further 
the  ends  of  justice,  a  culprit  must  not  know  that  there  is 
any  bill  against  him  till  it  is  popped  in  his  face  by  the 
sheriff ;  but  old  Mac's  zinc  house  was  just  as  sonorous 
as  a  drum,  and,  for  all  purposes  of  secrecy,  we  had  bet- 
ter have  held  our  deliberations  on  the  logs  of  Chenook 
beach  than  where  we  were.  The  outsiders  either  crawl- 
ed under  the  house  or  stood  outside,  where  they  could 
hear  perfectly  well  what  was  going  on ;  and  if  any  one 
was  a  little  deaf,  all  he  had  to  do  was  to  get  a  nail  and 
a  stone  and  punch  some  holes  through  the  zinc,  then 
clap  his  ear  to  the  aperture  and  become  perfectly  cogni- 
zant of  all  our  proceedings.  And,  in  addition  to  this  pub- 
licity, when  the  petit  jury  were  called,  the  challenge  ex- 
hausted all  the  people  present,  and  they  were  obliged  to 
take  nine  of  the-  grand  jury  to  serve  as  petit  jurors. 

First  we  had  to  examine  a  lot  of  Indians,  and  the  dis- 
trict attorney  proceeded  to  explain  to  them  the  nature 
of  an  oath,  which  they  pretended  to  understand,  except 
Yancumux,  who  stated  that  they  neither  knew  or  eared 
any  thing  about  the  white  man's  God,  although  they  had 
heard  the  priest  tell  about  him.  At  this  crisis,  one  of 
the  jurors  from  Pacific  City,  who  was  a  little  merry,  ask- 
ed the  counsel  if  he  knew  that  we  were  the  grand  jury, 
and  that  he  was  the  United  States  District  Attorney. 
"  Yes,"  said  the  squire,  looking  somewhat  astonished ; 
"  what  of  it  ?"  "  Oh,  nothing,  only  this :  the  judge  told 
us,  when  we  wanted  advice,  we  must  call  on  you.  Now 
we  don't  want  any  of  your  advice  at  present,  and  I  move 
that  you  retire,  and  when  we  want  you  we'll  send  for 
you»"     This  speech  made  some  fiin ;  but  we  soon  set- 


r   A 

•k 

A 

w  ,»1 

■  i  ■ 


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M*; 


I;  n 


i^y^ir. 


f-.  .' 


mmp. 


i ) 


!'i 


ij  m^ 


296 


THE  NORTHWEST  COAST;   OR, 


tied  the  affair  by  choosing  one. of  our  number,  William 
M*Gunnicle,  interpreter.  We  passed  all  that  day  exam- 
ining the  Indians,  but  they  did  not  know  so  much  about 
the  matter  as  we  did. 

That  night  I  slept  in  the  jury-room  with  Baldt ;  Cap- 
tain Johnson,  another  juror,  slept  in  a  little  bed-room 
adjoining.  Johnson  was  one  of  those  thick-headed,  stub- 
bom  old  fellows  that,  having  once  made  up  their  mind, 
can  never  be  turned.  He  had,  however,  from  some 
cause  or  other,  got  an  idea  that  I  was  versed  in  the  law, 
and  informed  me  that  he  had  some  matters  on  his  mind 
he  wished  me  to  advise  him  about,  and  ho  would  do 
just  as  I  would  think  best.  He  said  that  old  M'Carty, 
or,  as  he  called  him,  Brandywine,  and  himself  were  old 
friends,  and  that  he  had  loaned  Brandywine  some  money, 
and  he  could  not  get  it,  and  he  meant  *'to  put  him 
through  all  the  courts  of  law."  I  was  aware  of  tliis  fact, 
as  M'Carty  had  told  me,  when  I  passed  the  night  at  his 
house,  of  Johnson's  threats  to  sue  him,  which  made  him 
afraid  to  come  with  us  to  Chenook. 

"  Captain  Johnson,"  said  I,  "  have  you  ever  made  a 
demand  on  M'Carty  ?"  "  Yes,  I  have."  "  Did  he  re- 
fuse to  pay  you  ?"  "  No,  he  didn't  exactly  refuse ;  he 
said  he  couldn't  pay,  as  he  had  no  money."  "Well, 
captain,  do  you  think  he  would  pay  you  if  he  had  the 
means  ?"  "  Oh  yes,  I  know  he  would ;  he  don't  mean 
to  shirk  his  debts."  *'  Now,  Captain  Johnson,"  I  added, 
"  you  know  very  well  that  Brandywine  has  lost  every 
thing  he  had  by  that  fire  last  winter,  and  he  can't  pay 
you.  You  are  not  in  want  of  money.  Give  Mac  one 
year  to  pay  the  amount,  take  his  note  and  a  mortgage 
on  the  new  house,  and  talk  no  more  about  sueing  him, 
for  if  you  do  you  will  lose  your  debt."  Johnson  thanked 
me  for  my  advice,  and  I  had  the  satisfaction  of  saving 
two  old  friends  from  «,  quarrel.     But  there  was  another 


THREE  YEARS  AT  SHOAL-WATER  BAT. 


297 


question  that  I  advised  him  upon  which  he  would  not 
follow,  and  was  quite  vexed  afterward  that  he  had  not. 
He  had  learned  that  an  indictment  was  against  him  for 
giving  liquor  to  an  Indian,  and  said  that  it  was  true,  and 
he  meant  to  go  into  court  the  next  morning,  and  plead 
guilty,  and  throw  himself  on  the  mercy  of  the  court,  and 
expected  the  judge  would  let  him  off  with  a  fine.  I  ad- 
vised him  to  let  the  matter  rest  till  the  court  called  it 
up,  for  it  was  an  offense  against  a  law  of  Congress,  in 
which  the  fine  was  five  hundred  dollars,  and  the  judge 
had  no  discretion  in  the  case;  and  just  so  sure  as  he  plead 
guilty,  just  so  sure  he  would  be  fined.  Both  Baldt  and 
myself  tried  to  convince  the  old  fellow,  but  it  was  no 
use :  he  knew  better.  So  the  next  morning,  when  the 
jury  went  into  court,  up  steps  old  Johnson  to  the  judge 
and  remarked,  '*  Please  your  honor,  I  understand  there 
is  an  indictment  against  me  for  selling  liquor  to  an  In- 
dian. Well,  your  honor,  I  plead  guilty,  and  throw  my- 
self on  the  mercy  of  the  court."  As  no  one  but  Baldt 
and  myself  had  the  least  intimation  of  the  intention  of 
Johnson,  all  were  intensely  edified,  and  filled  with  pro- 
found admiration. 

"  Mr.  Clerk,"  says  the  judge,  *'  read  the  indictment." 
Dawson,  the  clerk,  gazed  at  Johnson  a  minute  or  two  to 
see  if  he  was  crazy  or  not ;  but,  as  he  saw  no  signs  of 
mental  aberration,  he  slowly  unfolded  and  read  the  doc- 
ument. 

The  judge  then  remarked :  *'  Before  you  plead  to  this 
indictment,  Mr.  Johnson,  I  wish  to  observe  that  this 
court  has  no  desire  to  take  any  advantage  of  your  igno- 
rance, but  the  law  is  one  of  Congress,  and  is  imperative. 
I  wish  that  it  was  otherwise,  and  that  the  amount  of  the 
fine  was  in  proportion  to  the  offense ;  but  I  have  no  dis- 
cretion in  the  case,  and  think,  before  you  make  your 
plea,  that  you  had  better  take  the  advice  of  counsel." 

N2 


»  * 


e0 


.  ■:^J 


■IP*! 


% 


^W.i^i 


298 


THE  NORTHWEST  COAST;   OR, 


1   I 


Several  of  the  old  captain's  friends  here  advised  with 
him,  when  he  plead  not  guilty,  and  was  then  obliged  to 
find  sureties  to  a  bond  of  five  hundred  dollars.  John- 
son was  quite  crestfallen  at  this  result,  and  looked  for- 
ward to  the  trial  with  a  great  deal  of  interest ;  and  wlicn 
it  did  come  off  eventually,  the  principal  witness  against 
him  could  not  swear  whether  it  was  whisky  or  molas- 
ses, so  he  got  clear. 

But  to  return  to  the  manslaughter  case.  Anotlier  f 
our  jury  was  old  Captain  Scarborough,  of  whom  non- 
tiori  has  been  made  previously.  The  captain  ^vas  >  cj ; 
deaf,  and  talked  loud.  He  was  a  great  atlvoo  ;■  for  the 
**  majesty  of  the  law,"  and  very  bold  to  speak  his  mind 
freely  on  all  occasions,  but  he  was  respected  very  mucl^ 
by  the  inhabitants,  and  his  remarks  were  usually  listened 
to  with  deference.  v 

The  principal,  and,  in  fact,  the  only  witnods  in  the 
case  was  William  Martindill,  who  had  been  cabin-boy 
with  Captain  Scarborough,  and  had  remained  with  him 
in  the  em}) icy  of  the  Hudson  Bay  Company  till  he  had 
risen  to  the  v?mk  of  second  mate.  The  old  captain  was 
in  the  habit  of  addressing  Bill  in  the  same  tone  and 
manner  as  when  on  board  ship,  and  Bill  always  com- 
ported himself  with  the  same  feeling  toward  the  captain. 

When  Bill  was  called  in  for  examination,  he  was  quite 
tipsy,  and  pretended  not  to  know  any  thing  of  the  oc- 
currence. To  every  question  he  would  reply,  **  I  don't 
know  nothin'  about  it."  C*  *,  taiv.  Scarborough,  who  was 
leaning  foiward,  with  his  h^nd  •,  f.hrnd  his  ear,  to  ca.ch 
the  sound  of  Bill's  voice,  vo  Huonev  lairly  comprehended 
that  he  was  talking  nonsense,  than  he  grew  intensely  in- 
dignant. "Bill!"  he  roared  out,  "do  you  know  what 
you  are  about  ?"  "  Oh  yes,  captain,"  says  Bill,  "  I 
an/  -vide  awake."  "No  you  ain't,"  bawled  out  the  iras- 
cible old  captain ;  "  you're  drunk.     Go  below  and  get 


'■   4 


THKEE  YEARS   AT  SHOAL-WATER   BAY. 


29D 


Bober."  Tlien,  H^Mrcasing  the  jury,  lie  remarked,  "Oen- 
tlenien,  you  i^^  v,  tin;  fellow  is  drunk;  seiul  liim  to  lied.'" 
So  Mr.  lUU  wfts  /narehed  into  the  bed-room  by  the  sher^ 
iff,  and  conit'>rtably  !.i  VoA  up. 

After  the  jury  adjourned,  he  captain  and  myself 
walked  in  to  sec  JJill,  who  had  then  sk|)t  himscil  sober, 
but  very  thirsty. 

** Now,"  says  the  captain,  in  hl.4  loud  tone,  "are  you 
fairly  awake.  Bill,  and  do  you  know  whm  you  have  been 
about?  Do  you  mean  to  stand  up  brtotre  my  face,  and 
tell  me  a  parcel  of  your  lies  ?"  "C)li,  oapfaiu,"  says  Bill, 
"just  you  let  mc  have  a  drink ;  my  throat  is  all  parched 
up." 

"It  will  be  worse  parched  in  the  nr xt  world," replied 
the  indignant  old  mariner,  "  if  you  don't  belay  those  lies 
of  yours,  and  begin  to  pay  out  the  truth.  Not  one  drop 
shall  you  have  to  drink." 

"  Well,  but,  captain,  the  squire  axes  me  so  many  hard 
questions  that  I  don't  know  what  to  sa)  :  I'm  knocked 
all  aback."  "  Never  you  mind  the  'squire  ;  do  you  tell 
the  truth.  Your  course  is  laid  down  stiaight.  Keep 
her  full  and  by,  and  mind  your  helm  ;  keep  lier  steady ; 
for  if  you  go  on  yawing  as  you  did  this  t Morning,  first 
falling  off  your  course,  and  then  luffing  sharp  up  in  the 
wind  till  you  make  all  shiver  and  shake,  you  may  de- 
pend upon  it,  my  lad,  you  will  find  yourseli  ashore  be- 
fore you  can  think.  And  I  can  tell  you  hat  if  you 
touch  bottom  among  these  lawyers  you  will  tind  it  will 
take  all  hands  to  heave  you  off  again.  If  they  catch 
you  foul,  they  will  hang  you  up  without  waiting  to  rig 
a  grating.  Now  I  don't  want  you  to  say  one  word  to 
me ;  but  when  you  go  before  the  jury  again,  do  you  just 
tell  the  truth  like  a  man." 

This  excellent  though  homely  advice  of  the  worthy 
old  captain  was  not  lost  on  Bill,  and  the  result  was 


••?' 


1. 


I 


i\ 


.11 


1     *-m  I 


Ill 


t^  j 


300 


THE   NORTHWEST   COAST;    OR, 


that  an  indictment  was  found  against  Lamley,  ai.J  the 
case  called  on  for  trial. 

When  the  jury  was  called  and  the  challenges  ex- 
hausted, it  was  found  that  there  were  no  more  persons 
to  draw  from.  So  the  two  counsel  agreed  on  a  com- 
promise, which  was,  that  nine  jurors  should  be  selected 
from  among  the  grand  jury  who  had  just  solemnly  ren- 
dered a  true  bill  against  the  prisoner.  However,  in  a 
new  country,  old  forms  can  not  always  be  adhered  to; 
but  as  it  is  considered  that  any  proposition  between  con- 
flicting parties  "is  fair  if  you  only  agree  to  it,"  the  jurors 
were  accordingly  selected,  and  the  case  proceeded. 

This  being  the  first  time  the  district  attorney  had  ever 
addressed  a  jury  on  a  criminal  case,  he  proceeded  to  elu- 
cidate the  points  in  a  speech  of  considerable  length,  com- 
mencing from  the  American  Revolution,  and  continuing 
his  deductions  to  the  time  of  Washington's  death,  and 
closing  with  a  beautiful  tribute  to  the  memory  of  the 
Father  of  his  Country. 

This  argument  had  such  a  direct  bearing  on  the  case 
on  trial  that  the  counsel  for  the  defense  was  forced  to 
reply  to  it  by  quotations  from  ancient  authors,  and  to 
prove  his  position  by  reciting  extracts  from  the  Arabian 
Nights'  Entertainments,  which,  although  not  considered 
so  orthodox  as  Coke  and  Blackstone,  had  the  effect  to 
mystify  the  prosecuting  attorney,  who  forgot  the  "  order 
of  his  going,"  and,  beginning  at  both  ends  of  his  case, 
broke  down  in  the  middle ;  and  the  case  being  submit- 
ted to  the  jury,  they  returned  a  verdict  of  not  guilty. 

The  argument  of  the  two  counsel  caused  the  most  in- 
tense delight  to  the  court  and  spectators,  and  the  result 
was  just  what  we  all  hoped  for,  and  every  body  was  sat- 
isfied. 

That  day  and  night  it  rained  as  it  only  can  rain  at  the 
mouth  of  the  Columbia ;  it  came  down  in  torrents,  and 


THREE   YEAKS  AT   SHOAL-WATER   BAY. 


301 


the  noise  it  made,  rattling  and  pouring  on  the  roof  of 
M'Carty's  zinc  house,  was  equal  to  a  young  Niagara. 

During  the  evening  Captain  Johnson  proposed  to  me 
another  problem  for  solution.  His  boys,  going  to  school 
one  morning,  discovered  a  barrel  lying  near  the  fence  at 
Mr.  Holman's  house,  and,  having  a  great  curiosity  to  find 
out  the  contents,  adopted  the  very  original  method  of 
knocking  in  one  of  the  heads  with  an  axe  lying  near  by. 
The  contents,  being  vinegar,  were,  of  course,  speedily 
swallowed  up  by  tlie  dry  sand,  over  which  it  poured  in  a 
promiscuous  manner.  The  owner,  after  waiting  a  reason- 
able time  without  obtaining  any  redress  from  Johnson, . 
had  just  confidentially  intimated  that  unless  Johnson  set- 
tled the  matter  at  once,  he  would  bring  the  case  before 
the  court  in  the  morning.  Johnson  was  in  a  great  dilem- 
ma ;  his  affair  in  court  that  day,  in  regard  to  the  liquor 
business,  had  made  him  quite  nervous  ;  and,  as  he  dis- 
liked paying  out  money  very  much,  he  wanted  to  try  and 
get  rid  of  this  vinegar  question  without  being  obliged  to 
recompense  the  owner  for  its  loss.  "  I  don't  see,"  said 
lie,  "why  I  should  be  made  to  pay  for  my  boys'  mis- 
chief; in  fact,  I  won't  pay  a  cent.  I'll  take  it  through 
all  the  courts  before  1  will.  The  boys  are  but  mere  lads, 
and  they  did  not  mean  to  do  any  harm." 

I  then  suggested  that,  if  any  boy  should  throw  stones 
and  break  his  windows,  he  would  be  very  likely  to  call 
on  the  boy's  father  to  pay  damages. 

"  There  ain't  any  of  my  neighbors  got  boys  big  enough 
to  break  windows,"  said  he ;  "and  if  there  were,  I'd  break 
their  heads."  "  Well,"  I  replied,  "  would  you  not  make 
their  fathers  pay  for  the  broken  glass  ?"  "  Yes,  I  would." 
"Very  well;  your  boys,  instead  of  breaking  glass,  have 
broke  a  barrel  and  spilled  the  contents,  and  you  are 
obliged  to  pay  for  or  replace  it."  "  But  the  owner  wants 
me  to  pay  him  a  dollar  and  a  half  a  gallon,  and  I  can 
buy  tlie  best  at  Astoria  for  a  dollar." 


„  t] 


-^i 


'^\\ 


11  .'-V*, 


v 


\v 


ii 


I  >• 


t' 


mmfm 


mm^Mim^ 


-  s-iimwm  Ifiii 


302 


THE   NORTHWEST   COAST;    OR, 


"  Well,  you  see  the  owner,  and,  as  he  is  a  reasonable 
man,  I  know  he  will  only  ask  you  what  is  just  and  right." 
Johnson  did  as  I  advised  him,  and  settled  by  giving  his 
note  on  short  time  for  thirty  gallons  vinegar  at  a  dollar 
a  gallon  ;  but  when  it  came  due  he  declared  he  had  been 
cheated  in  the  gauge,  so  had  the  barrel  regauged,  when 
it  was  found  to  measure  forty  gallons,  which  he  was  forced 
to  pay,  very  much  against  his  will. 

Poor  Johnson !  He  was  afterward  drowned  while 
crossing  the  Columbia  in  a  boat  with  Mr.  John  Dawson 
and  another,  who  shared  his  fate ;  and,  but  a  few  months 
previous,  M'Carty,  while  returning  home  from  a  visit  to 
Johnson's,  was  drowned  while  crossing  the  Wallacut  Riv- 
er, and  his  body  was  afterward  carried  by  the  current 
out  to  sea,  and  eventually  picked  up  on  the  beach  to  th*e 
north  of  the  Columbia,  almost  up  to  the  entrance  to 
Shoal-water  Bay.  Captain  Scarborough  likewise  died 
shortly  previous  to  Johnson,  but  he  died  in  his  own 
house  very  suddenly.  I  have  before  remarked  on  tlie 
hostile  feeling  evinced  toward  Americans  by  the  former 
employes  of  the  Hudson  Bay  Company,  and  here  was 
a  circumstance  to  corroborate  my  assertion.  Captain 
Scarborough  was  known  to  keep  quite  a  sum  of  money 
in  his  house  at  all  times.  He  charged  an  old  Indian 
servant-woman,  who  lived  with  him,  in  case  of  his  death, 
on  no  account  to  tell  a  Boston  man  (American)  where 
his  money  was,  but  to  deliver  it  either  to  the  Hudson 
Bay  Company's  agent  at  Chenook,  or  to  some  of  their 
people  up  the  river,  alleging  that  the  Bostons  were  very 
bad  people,  but  the  King  George  people  were  honest  and 
good.  As  soon  as  it  was  known  that  Captain  Scarbor- 
ough was  dead,  the  judge  of  probate,  coroner,  and  oth- 
er county  officers  proceeded  to  the  house  officially ;  but 
all  their  promises  or  tlireats  were  of  no  avail  to  obtain 
one  word  from  the  old  squaw.     "  If  you  bum  me  in  the 


THREE  YEARS   AT   SHOAL-WATER   BAY. 


303 


fire,"  said  she,  "  I  will  not  tell  you ;  but  I  wiii  tell  a 
King  George  man."  And  they  were  actually  obliged  to 
send  up  the  river  and  appoint  one  of  the  Company's  peo- 
ple administrator  before  the  old  woman  would  tell  where 
the  money  was. 

The  next  day  the  court  adjourned,  and,  after  settling 
with  the  deputy  marshal  for  our  jury  fees,  we  started  for 
home.  When  we  had  crossed  the  portage  and  reached 
the  canoe,  we  were  joined  by  another  person,  who  asked 
a  passage  down  the  Bay,  which,  of  course,  was  granted, 
although  Baldt  objected  on  account  of  the  canoe  being 
small,  and  he  being  unused  to  a  canoe ;  but  I  told  him 
it  was  all  right ;  so  we  proceeded  down  the  river,  and 
kept  close  to  the  eastern  shore  of  the  Bay  till  we  reach- 
ed the  mouth  of  the  Nasal  River,  when  we  took  a  stiff 
southeast  breeze,  as  much  as  we  could  stagger  under. 
There  was  a  shai'p,  short,  chopping  sea  in  the  channel,  but 
we  did  not  discover  it  till  we  were  directly  in  the  worst, 
and  then  Baldt  was  sure  we  were  going  to  capsize:  he 
was  terribly  frightened.  I  told  him  our  only  hope  was 
to  keep  on  and  get  through  as  quiet  as  possible,  for  if  I 
attempted  to  turn  back  we  would  certainly  swamp ;  and 
he  and  all  of  us  must  sit  down  in  the  bottom  of  the  ca- 
noe, and  keep  as  still  as  possible.  I  was  only  afraid  of 
breaking  the  paddle  I  steered  by,  when  she  would  be 
sure  to  broach  to  and  fill.  Our  situation  did  not  ap- 
pear particularly  desirable ;  for,  while  we  were  in  the 
worst  of  the  sea,  a  boat  to  the  leeward  of  us  capsized  and 
drifted  into  shoal  water,  where  we  saw  the  occupants 
lift  her  up  and  put  things  to  rights ;  but  we  did  get 
through  without  taking  in  one  drop  of  water ;  and,  when 
fairly  out  of  the  swell,  Baldt  began  to  regain  his  courage, 
and  was  loud  in  his  praises  of  the  little  canoe,  which,  he 
thought,  could  outlive  almost  any  sea.  But  the  grand 
secret  is  to  know  how  to  manage  these  canoes.     I  had 


...  *' 


'it 


1  ■■  •<■■" 


■K* 


.1 


w 


n  1 


304 


THE  NORTHWEST   COAST;    OR, 


been  in  mine  so  much  that  I  could  handle  her  as  well  as 
an  Indian ;  but  if  I  had  felt  afraid,  or  had  broken  my  pad- 
dle while  crossing  the  Nasal,  we  would  have  met  with  as 
bad,  if  not  worse  an  accident  than  tliose  in  the  boat  had. 
But  we  arrived  home  safe,  and  a  few  days  after  I  had 
an  adventure  with  Caslah^han,  the  one-eyed  Indian  of 
Gray's  Harbor. 

Captain  Purrington,  having  occasion  to  go  to  Chenook, 
took  the  Indians  and  started,  leaving  me  alone  in  the 
house.  This  was  common  witJi  both  of  us,  and  neither 
felt  any  fear  of  remaining  alone,  but  always  went  and 
came  as  we  saw  fit. 

The  evening  after  he  left,  as  I  was  about  sitting  down 
to  my  supper,  who  should  come  in  but  Caslah^han.  I 
gave  him  a  welcome,  and  told  him  to  sit  up  and  eat  some 
supper  with  me,  for,  in  fact,  I  was  rather  glad  to  have 
some  one  to  talk  to.  After  we  had  finished  eating  we 
lit  our  pipes  and  sat  doAvn  by  the  fire.  I  then  inquired 
of  him  what  brought  him  down  from  Gray's  Harbor,  and 
where  he  was  going.  He  simply  said  he  was  going  to 
Chenook  to  sell  his  furs,  and,  herring  I  was  alone,  he 
called  to  see  me.  He  was  a  most  repulsive-looking  sav- 
age, his  one  eye  glaring  with  a  most  demoniac  expres- 
sion, and  his  whole  looks  bore  a  very  sinister  appearance. 
I  had  heard  of  some  of  his  exploits  at  Fort  Vancouver, 
where  he  had  been  flogged  several  times  for  theft,  and 
also  of  his  killing  two  Indians  in  a  canoe  not  far  from 
my  house,  and  I  did  not  wish  any  thing  to  do  with  him ; 
but  he  had  always  treated  me  well,  and  I  had  no  reason 
to  complain. 

He  sat  a  while  smoking  in  silence,  and  at  last  said, 
"  You  must  have  a  stout  heart ;  are  you  not  afraid  of 
me  ?"  "  No,"  said  I ;  "  why  should  I  be  afraid  of  you  ? 
We  have  always  been  friends,  have  we  not  ?"  "  Yes," 
said  he;  "but  why  did  you  tell  Sam  to  shoot  me?"    I 


THREE   YEARS   AT   SHOAL-WATER   BAT. 


305 


was  perfectly  astonished,  and  asked  him  what  he  meant. 
He  replied  that  the  Indians  had  told  him  that  I  was  the 
cause  of  Sam  Winant's  firing  at  him  when  wc  were  about 
crossing  Gray's  Harbor,  and  he  had  come  now  to  settle 
up  the  business,  and  in  a  manner  that  can  be  easily  im- 
agined, although  he  did  not  say  how  he  wished  to  settle 
it.  "  But,"  said  he,  "  they  have  told  me  lies ;  you  nev- 
er told  Sam  to  shoot  me,  or  else  you  would  have  felt 
afraid  when  you  saw  me  coming,  and  I  should  have 
seen  that  you  were  afraid,  and  then  I  should  have  known 
that  you  were  guilty ;  but  now  I  know  better."  I  as- 
sured him  that  I  had  no  ill  will  against  him,  and  urged 
him  to  remain  all  night,  which  he  did,  and  kept  me 
amused  till  a  late  hour,  telling  stories,  and,  when  he  left 
the  next  morning,  had  the  kindness  to  steal  my  hatchet, 
as  a  token  he  was  on  friendly  and  intimate  terms.  But 
I  was  glad  enough  to  get  off  that  cheap,  for  I  afterward 
found  that  he  had  started  to  go  direct  to  Chenook ;  and 
he  called  on  me  after  dark,  when,  if  he  had  so  desired,  he 
could  have  killed  me,  and  kept  on,  and  no  one  would 
have  suspected  him  at  all.  He  still  continued  to  profess 
himself  to  be  my  friend,  and  I  suppose  he  did  feel  as 
friendly  toward  me  as  a  person  of  his  savage  disposition 
could ;  but  after  that  time  I  took  good  care  to  have  ei- 
ther a  loaded  gun  or  a  good  knife  at  hand  in  the  house 
whenever  any  more  of  his  tribe  called  on  me  after  dark. 
Winter  now  coming  on,  I  had  little  else  to  do  except 
to  listen  to  Indian  tales  and  study  into  their  language ; 
and  as  the  Jargon,  or  language  universally  used  over  the 
Territory,  is  curious,  as  tending  to  show  how  a  language 
can  be  formed,  I  shall  now  give  some  description  of  it. 


n 

i"     flW^T 

i       i 

}i 

i 

306 


*  w 


THE  NORTHWEST  COAST;   OR, 


\ 


i 


^iiiUiiiiSiill 


CHAPTER  XVm. 

Language  of  the  Indians. — The  Jargon. — Different  Methods  of  spelling 
Words  by  Writers. — Difficulty  of  rightly  understmuling  the  Jargon. 
— How  a  Language  can  be  formed. — Origin  of  the  Indian  Language. 
— Remarks  of  Mr.  Squicr. —  Irish-sounding  Words  in  the  Chehalis 
Tongue. — An  amusing  Parable. — Views  of  Mr.  Duponceau. —  Re- 
marks of  Gliddon.  —  Resemblance  between  Chehalis  and  Aztec 
Words. — Facts  relative  of  Indian  Journeys  south. — Mrs.  Ducheney's 
Narrative. — Difficulty  of  Indians  in  pronouncing  certain  Letters. — 
Cause  of  the  chuckling  Sound  of  the  Northwest  Languages. — Per- 
sons apt  to  misunderstand  Indian  Words. — Dislike  of  Indians  to 
learn  EngHsh. — Winter  Amusements. — Tomhays  and  the  Geese.— 
Arrival  of  Settlers. — Doctor  Johnson. — The  Doctor  and  myself  aqt 
as  Lawyers  in  Champ's  Court. — Strong  Medicine. — Kohpoh  mistaken 
for  a  'Coon. — Visit  of  the  Klickatats. — Christmas  Dinner  ou  Crow. — 
Baked  Skunk. — Fisherman's  Pudding. 

The  language  of  the  tribes  north  of  the  Columbia  is  a 
guttural  sound  which  to  a  stranger  seems  a  compound 
of  the  gruntings  of  a  pig  and  the  clucking  of  a  hen. 
All  the  tribes  of  the  Territory  (some  twenty-five)  speak 
a  language  whicli,  though  sounding  the  same  to  unprac- 
ticed  ears,  is  very  different  when  understood ;  and  even 
tribes  so  nearly  connected  as  the  Chenooks,  Chehalis, 
and  Queniults,  being  only  a  few  miles  distant  from  each 
other,  yet  members  of  the  one  can  not  understand  the 
language  of  the  other.  Still,  there  are  individuals  of 
each  who,  from  a  roving,  trading  disposition,  have  become 
familiar  with  each  other's  tongue,  and  can  usually  make 
themselves  understood.  The  Chehalis  language  is  that 
most  usually  spoken  at  present,  for  the  ancient  Chenook 
is  such  a  guttural,  difficult  tongue,  that  many  of  the 
young  Chenook  Indians  can  not  speak  it,  but  have  been 
taught  by  their  parents  the  Chehalis  language  and  tlie 
Jargon.     The  Jargon  is  the  medium  with  which  the  In- 


THEEE   YEARS   AT   SHOAL-WATER  BAY. 


307 


dians  hold  intercourse  with  each  other  and  with  the 
whites. 

This  Jargon  is  composed  of  Chenook,  French,  and  En- 
glish languages,  and  is  supposed  hy  many  to  have  been 
formed  by  the  Hudson  Bay  Company  for  trading  pur- 
poses. Such,  however,  is  not  the  fact.  There  have  been 
constant  additions  to  the  Jargon  since  the  advent  of  the 
Hudson  Bay  Company,  for  many  of  the  words  now  in 
general  use  in  this  language  are  of  French  and  English 
origin ;  but  I  think  that,  among  the  Coast  Indians  in  par- 
ticular, the  Indian  part  of  the  language  has  been  in  use 
for  years. 

The  first  mention  I  have  seen  made  of  this  Jargon  is 
in  Meares's  voyages  in  1788,  where,  in  giving  an  ac- 
count of  a  chief  named  Callicum,  who  hurt  his  leg  while 
climbing  on  board  ship,  and  then  sucked  the  blood  from 
the  wound,  Meares  states  he  "licked  his  lips,  and,  pat- 
ting his  belly,  exclaimed  Cloosh^  cloosh^  or  good,  good." 
Cloosh,  or  klose,  or  close,  are  all  the  same,  and  mean 
good. 

Still  later  than  this,  in  1803,  Jewett,  in  his  narrative 
of  the  ship  Boston,  at  Nootka,  wives  a  vocabulary  of 4he 
words  in  common  use  among  the  Nootkans,  and  from 
which  I  have  selected  the  following,  to  compare  them 
with  the  present  Chenook  dialect  or  Jargon. 


•'!■.: 


'  '' 


Nootka. 

Chenook. 

English. 

• 

>. 

Kloots'mah, 

Klooch'man, 

Woman. 

( 

Ta-nas-sis, 

Ta-nas, 

Child,  or  any  thing 

small. 

Sick-a-min-ny, 

Chink -a-min, 

Iron. 

Ma'mook, 

Ma-mook, 

Work. 

■^'^, 

Kom-me-tak, 

Kum-tux, 

Understand. 

y,/-'^' 

Klu-shish  or^ 
Cloosh,         ) 

Klose  or  Close, 

Good. 

Ty-ee, 

Ty-ee, 

Chief. 

See-yah'poLs, 

Sear'j)or-tle, 

Cap  or  hat. 

Klack'ko, 

Klar'koon, 

Good. 

vf 

Pow, 

Pow  or  Po, 

Eeport  of  a  gun  or  cannon ;  a  gun. 

;;?-■'' 

Klat'tur-wah, 

Clat'te-wah, 

Go  off  or  go  away. 

%\,-y.. 

^^«* 


1\ 


308 


THE  NORTHWEST  COAST;    OR, 


f 


The  different  manner  in  which  the  words  are  spelled 
is  no  evidence  of  a  difference  of  meaning ;  for  no  two 
writers  of  Indian  words  fully  agree  as  to  the  proper 
method  of  spelling.  As  an  instance  of  this  variety,  I 
may  cite  that  in  the  Commissioner's  Report  on  Indian 
Affairs,  1854,  page  215,  the  Cammassa  esculenta,  or  La 
Cammass,  as  the  French  call  it,  is  by  Governor  Ste- 
vens called  and  spelled  Camash.  On  page  229»  Mr. 
Gibbs  spells  it  .Kamaas,  and  Wilkes  has  it  Lackamus. 
Now  these  all  mean  one  and  the  same  thing. 

There  is  a  river  emptying  into  Shoal- water  Bay  called 
the  Marhoo.  This  is  called  by  the  Chehalis  Marh  or 
Marhoo,  by  the  Chenooks  N'emarh^  and  by  the  whites 
Nemar\  while  some  of  the  latter  have  given  it  the  name 
of  Neemy.  Now  no  casual  reader  would  ever  suppose 
that  Marh  or  Marhoo  and  Ncemy  were  the  names  of 
the  same  river ;  but  it  serves  to  illustrate  the  different 
impression  the  sound  of  words  makes  on  different  individ- 
uals. 

So,  also,  in  writing  words,  h  and  c  are  used  indis- 
criminately by  writers,  and  although  they  make  a  word 
\qo\  different  when  written  or  printed,  yet  they  produce 
in  some  situations  the  same  sound.  For  instance,  the 
words  Cowlitz,  Garcowan,  Cultus,  Cumtux,  etc.,  can  be 
and  are  frequently  written  Kowlitz,  Karkowan,  Kultus, 
Kumtux.  I  think,  however,  if  a  rule  was  adopted  to 
spell  all  words  of  French  or  English  origin  as  originally 
spelled,  it  would  be  correct ;  but  by  using  k  it  gives  a 
word  a  sort  of  an  Indian  appearance,  which  some  writ- 
ers affect.  Cammass  should  not  be  spelled  with  a  k  any 
more  than  Columbia.  X. 

The  Indians  are  very  quick  to  detect  any  difference  in 
the  intonation  or  method  of  pronunciation  of  the  whites, 
and  sometimes  think  we  speak  different  languages.  An 
Indian  asked  me  one  day  (while  pointing  to  a  cow)  what 


THREE  YEARS  AT  SHOAL-WATER  BAY. 


309 


was  the  name  we  called  that  animal.  I  told  him  cow. 
He  said  that  he  had  just  asked  another  whi  man,  and 
lie  called  it  a  caow. 

By  this  means,  different  Indians  who  have  been  with 
the  whites  acquire  a  habit  of  pronouncing  such  English 
words  as  they  pick  up  in  the  same  style  and  manner  as 
the  person  from  whom  they  learn  them.  This  causes  a 
certain  discrepancy  in  the  Jargon,  which  at  first  is  diffi- 
cult to  get  over.  And,  again,  each  tribe  will  add  some 
local  words  of  their  own  language,  so  that  while  a  per- 
son can  make  himself  understood  among  any  of  the  tribes 
for  the  purposes  of  trade,  it  is  difficult  to  hold  a  length- 
ened conversation  on  any  subject  without  the  aid  of 
some  one  who  has  become  more  familiar  with  the  pecul- 
iar style. 

This  fact  I  saw  instanced  on  an  occasion  of  a  treaty 
made,  or  attempted  to  be  made,  by  Governor  Stevens 
with  five  tribes  on  the  Chehalis  River  in  the  spring  of 
1855.  There  were  present  the  Cowlitz,  the  Chehalis, 
Chenook,  Queniult,  and  Satchap  Indians.  Colonel  B. 
F.  Shaw  was  the  interpreter,  and  spoke  the  language 
fluently ;  but,  although  he  was  perfectly  understood  by 
the  Cowlitz  and  Satchap  Indians,  he  was  but  imperfect- 
ly understood  by  the  Chenooks,  Chehalis,  and  Queniults, 
and  it  was  necessary  for  those  present  who  were  con- 
versant with  the  Coast  tribes  to  repeat  to  them  what  he 
said  before  they  could  fully  understand. 

I  experienced  the  same  difficulty ;  for,  as  I  had  been 
accustomed  to  speak  a  great  deal  of  the  Chehalis  lan- 
guage with  the  Jargon,  I  found  that  the  Indians  from  tlie 
interior  could  not  readily  understand  me  when  making 
use  of  words  in  the  Chehalis  dialect. 

The  Jargon  is  interesting  as  showing  how  a  language 
can  be  formed.  The  words  of  three  distinct  languages 
— ^the  French,  English,  and  Indian — are  made  to  form  a 


■**»i 


310 


THE  NORTHWEST   COAST;    OR, 


11 ' 


I   I 


i  u 


■M 


separate  and  distinct  tongue.  It  is  a  language,  howev- 
er, never  used  except  when  the  Indians  and  wliites  are 
conversing,  or  by  two  distant  tribes  who  do  not  under- 
stand each  other,  and  only  as  an  American  and  a  Rus- 
sian would  be  likely  to  talk  French  to  communicate  their 
ideas  with  each  other.  The  Indians  speaking  the  same 
language  no  more  think  of  using  the  Jargon  while  talk- 
ing togetlier  than  the  Americans  do. 

It  is  a  language  confined  wholly,  I  believe,  to  our 
Northwestern  possessions  west  oftlie  Rocky  Mountains. 
It  originated  in  the  roving,  trading  spirit  of  the  tribes, 
and  has  been  added  to  and  increased  since  the  introduc- 
tion of  the  whites  among  tliem. 

Of  the  origin  of  any  of  tiie  langUiSgcs  of  the  different 
tribes  it  is  impossible  even  to  conjecture ;  but  it  certain- 
ly seems  to  me  that  if,  as  has  been  alleged,  these  tribes 
did  come  from  Asia,  there  would  have  been  some  simi- 
larity in  the  languages  by  which  they  could  be  traced. 

]Mr.  Squier  makes  the  following  philosophical  re- 
marks : 

"  The  casual  resembhuice  of  certain  words  in  the  lan- 
guages of  America  and  those  of  the  Old  World  can  not 
be  taken  as  evidence  of  common  origin.  Such  coinci- 
dences may  be  easily  accounted  for. as  the  result  of  acci- 
dent, or,  at  most,  of  local  infusions.  It  is  nc"  in  acci- 
dental coincidences  of  sound  or  meaning,  but  in  a  com- 
parison of  the  general  structure  and  character  of  the 
American  languages  with  those  of  other  countries,  that 
we  can  expect  to  find  similitudes  at  all  conclusive,  or 
worthy  of  remark  in  determining  the  question  of  a  com- 
mon origin." 

Among  the  Chehalis  Indians,  and  even  among  the 
Chenooks,  are  found  words  occasionally  strikingly  re- 
sembling those  of  some  foreign  country.  Connath  in- 
niskuf  an  expression  of  derision,  which  is  something 


fcl;: 


TIIUEE   YEARS  AT  8H0AL-WATEK       Vf. 


U 


Bimilar  to  the  remark,  You  are  stuj)id  or  half  drunk,  ia 
certainly  very  similar  in  its  appearance  and  sound  to 
Irish  words,  but  it  must  be  poor  evidence  by  which  to 
prove  that  the  Indians  were  originally  Irish.  But  I  be- 
lieve that  there  are  more  Irish-sounding  words  in  the 
Chehalis  language  than  there  are  Hebrew,  and,  so  far 
as  any  sound  of  words  goes,  it  is  as  easy  to  prove  their 
descent  from  the  Irish  as  it  is  from  the  lost  tribes  of 
Israel. 

The  following  amusing  "parable,"  from  Nott&Glid- 
don's  Notes,  may  do  to  insert  here :  *'  It  is  well  known 
that  the  earlier  colonists  of  Barbadoes,  Montserrat,  and 
some  other  West  India  islands  were  Irish  exiles.  Odd 
to  relate,  while  a  few  of  their  negro  slaves  actually  speak 
Gaelic,  many  have  acquired  the  '  brogue.' 

"An  Hibernian,  fresh  from  the  green  isle,  arrived  one 
day  at  the  port  of  Bridgetown,  and  was  hailed  by  two 
negro  boatmen,  who  oft'ered  to  take  him  ashore.  Observ- 
ing that  their  names  were  Pat  and  Murphy,  and  that 
their  brogue  was  uncommonly  rich,  the  stranger  (taking 
them  to  be  Irishmen)  asked,  *And  how  long  have  yo 
been  from  the  ould  country?'  Misunderstanding  him, 
one  of  tlie  darkies  replied,  '  Sex  months,  yer  honor.' 
'Sex  months!  sex  months!  only  sex  montlis !  and  turn- 
ed as  black  as  me  hat !     J !  what  a  climate !     Row 

me  back  to  the  ship.     I'm  from  Cork  last,  and  I'll  soon 
be  there  again.' 

"Every  one  laughs  at  the  verdant  simplicity  which  be- 
lieved that  a  Celt  could  be  transmuted  by  climate  into  a 
negro  in  six  months.  All  would  smile  at  the  notion  of 
such  a  possibility  within  6,  or  even  60  years ;  most 
readers  will  hesitate  over  600  years.  Anatomy,  history, 
and  the  monuments  prove  that  6000  years  Iiave  never 
metamorphosed  one  type  of  man  into  another." 
As  early  as  1819,  ]\Ir.  Duponceau  advanced  the  fol- 


■  ■  •■  iij 


812 


THE  N011TIIWE8T  COAST;    OR, 


lowing  conclusion :  "  That  tlio  American  languages  in 
general  are  rich  in  words  and  grammatical  form,  and  that, 
in  tlieir  complicated  construction,  the  greatest  order, 
method,  and  regularity  prevail :  that  these  complicated 
forms,  which  he  calls  polysthcnic,  appear  to  exist  in  all 
the  languages  from  Greenland  to  Cape  Horn,  and  that 
these  forms  differ  essentially  from  those  of  the  ancient 
and  modern  languages  of  the  old  hemisphere." 

Gliddon  remarks  :  "  The  type  of  a  race  would  never 
change  if  kept  from  adulterations,  as  may  be  seen  in  the 
case  of  the  Jews  and  other  people.  So  with  languages : 
we  have  no  reason  to  believe  that  a  race  would  ever  lose 
its  language  if  kept  aloof  from  foreign  influences.  It  is 
a  fact  timt,  in  the  little  island  of  Great  Britain,  the  Welsh 
and  Erse  are  still  spoken,  although  for  two  thousand  years 
pressed  upon  by  the  strongest  influences  tending  to  ex- 
terminate a  tongue.  So  with  the  Basque  in  France,  which 
can  be  traced  back  at  least  three  thousand  years,  and  is 
still  spoken.  Coptic  was  the  language  of  Egypt  for  at 
least  five  thousand  years,  and  still  leaves  its  trace  in  the 
languages  around.  Tiie  Chinese  has  existed  equally  as 
long,  and  is  still  undisturbed." 

We  have  seen  that  wherever  the  Jews,  or  the  Chinese, 
or  the  Gipsies,  or  Negroes,  have  wandered  from  one  pah 
of  the  world  to  the  other,  they  have,  either  in  general  ap- 
pearance or  language,  retained  a  separate  and  distinct 
position ;  and  it  is  but  natural  to  conclude  that,  if  the 
American  Indians  had  come  from  Asia,  they  would  cer- 
tainly have  retained  something,  either  in  language  or  aj>- 
pearance,  like  the  tribes  of  the  Old  World. 

We  are  assured  by  writers  that  this  diversity  of  lan- 
guages was  ejflised  by  the  confusion  of  tongues  at  the 
Tower  of  Babel ;  but  Gliddon  &  Nott  state  that  *'  it  is 
well  known  to  cuneiform  students  of  the  present  day  that 
Babylon's  tower  did  not  exist  before  the  reign  of  Neb- 


TUKEJ2  YEAB8  AT  8II0AL-WATKR  BAY. 


813 


QchAdneczar,  who  built  it  daring  the  seventh  century  B.C. 
The  antiquities  of  America  show  it  to  have  been  popu- 
lated fifty  thousand  years  ago." 

Leaving  what  must,  to  us,  remain  always  an  uncer- 
taiiitv  as  to  the  origin  of  the  Indian  language,  and  de- 
scending to  the  practical,  or  language  of  the  present,  as 
we  find  it,  the  most  casual  observer  must  be  struck  with 
the  great  similarity  in  the  ending  of  many  of  the  Cheha- 
lis  words  with  the  Mexican  or  Aztec  tl ;  as,  for  instance, 
a-quail-shiltl,  the  north  wind ;  quer-lo-e-chintl,  bear-ber- 
ly;  par-lam-shiltl,  raspberry  (Rubus  odoratus);  nar-whatl, 
yes ;  ow-whitl,  another ;  jo-quitl,  get  up ;  shooks-quitl, 
to-day;  se-cartl,  spruce;  sheo-quintl,  cedar;  skaei^kuttl, 
woman ;  sartl,  two.  &c. 

That  the  northern  tribes,  or  those  of  Oregon  and 
Washington,  have  been  accustomed  to  long  journeys 
south,  is  a  fact  which  is  easily  shown.  When  Fremont 
first  commenced  hostilities  in  California,  a  large  body  of 
Walla  Walla  Indians  from  the  Columbia  were  creating 
disturbances  in  the  region  of  Sacramento.  These  In- 
dians formerly  made  regular  excursions  to  the  south 
every  year,  on  horseback,  for  the  purpose  of  trade  or 
plunder. 

The  wife  of  Mr.  Ducheney,  the  agent  at  Chenook  for 
the  Hudson  Bay  Company,  who  is  a  very  intelligent 
woman,  informed  me  that  her  father  was  a  Frenchman, 
and  her  mother  a  Walla  Walla  Indian,  and  that,  when  she 
was  quite  a  child,  she  recollected  going  with  her  mother 
and  a  party  of  her  tribe  to  the  south  for  a  number  of 
months ;  that  they  were  three  months  going  and  three 
months  returning  ;  that  they  took  horses  with  them,  and 
Indian  trinkets,  which  they  exchanged  for  vermilion  and 
Mexican  blankets  ;  and  that  on  their  return  her  mother 
died,  and  was  buried  where  the  city  of  Sacramento  now 
stands.     I  asked  her  how  she  knew  where  Sacramento 

O 


■Z ' 


'\« 


814 


THE  NORTHWEST  COAST;   OB, 


m 


-;!-« 


was,  and  she  replied  that  some  of  her  friends  had  since 
gone  to  California,  to  the  gold  mines,  and  that  on  their 
return  they  said  that  it  was  at  Sacramento  where  her 
mother  was  buried. 

She  was  too  young  to  remember  how  far  into  Mexico 
they  went,  but  I  judged  that  the  vermilion  she  mention- 
ed was  obtained  from  the  mountains  of  Almaden,  near 
San  Jos6,  California.  But  I  have  no  reason  to  doubt 
the  statement,  as  I  have  heard  similar  statements  from 
other  sources.  These  facts,  taken  into  consideration  with 
the  allegory  of  the  thunder-bird  of  the  Chenooks  and 
Chehalis,  would  seem  to  give  weight  to  the  supposition 
that  at  some  time  or  other  the  Mexican  Indians  had  been 
among  the  Northern  tribes ;  or  it  may  be  considered,  on 
the  other  hand,  by  those  who  believe  in  the  northwest 
exodus  from  Asia,  as  a  proof  that,  as  the  Mexican  end- 
ing tl  is  found  among  the  tribes  still  farther  north,  the 
Mexicans  themselves  originated  in  that  quarter.  Be 
that  as  it  may,  my  present  limits  and  limited  information 
will  not  allow  me  to  enter  upon  what  must  prove  but  a 
rersr  unsatisfactory  argument.* 

In  examining  the  vocabularies  in  the  Appendix,  many 
words  of  English  origin,  in  the  Jargon,  are  to  be  found 
dressed  in  an  Indian  phraseology  simply  by  using  the 
letter  L  instead  of  R.  The  reason  is  that  the  Indians 
can  not  sound  R  when  used  as  the  commencement  of  a 
word.  Thus,  for  instance,  rice  Is  pronounced  lice ;  rope, 
lope ;  Robert,  Lobert ;  run,  lun ;  or  bread,  bled ;  le  pretre 
(the  priest),  la  plate ;  key,  klee,  &c.  Other  letters  are  quite 
as  difficult  for  them  to  pronounce,  although  they  can, 

*  "  It  should  be  remembered,"  says  Frescott  (Conquest  of  Mexico, 
vol.  iii.,  p.  414),  "how  treacherous  a  thing  is  tradition,  and  how  easily 
the  links  of  the  chain  are  severed.  The  builders  of  the  Pyramids  had 
been  forgotten  before  the  time  of  the  earliest  Greek  historians.  *  Inter 
omnes  eos  non  constat  a  quibns  factte  sint,  justissimo  casu,  obliteratis 
tantn  vanitatis  auetoribus.'  "—Pliny,  Hist.  Nat.,  lib.  xxxtI.,  cap.  17. 


THBEE  YEARS  AT  SHOA^WATER  BAT. 


315 


with  exertion.  Thus  they  call  shovel,  shuml ;  vinegar, 
mingar.  F  is  also  sounded  like  p,  as  pire  for  fire,  pork 
for  fork.  It  is  easy  to  see  that,  if  every  English  or 
French  word  should  be  written  as  the  Indians  pronounce 
them,  a  very  large  and  curious-looking  vocabulary  could 
be  produced.  I  have  therefore  omitted  many  words  of 
English  and  French  origin,  and  only  given  a  few,  with 
their  derivation,  as  specimens  of  the  manner  the  Jargon 
is  gotten  up. 

In  ordinary  conversation  many  of  their  words  are  cut 
short,  and  those  long  words  in  the  Chehalis  language 
can  thus  be  made  to  convey  the  desired  information  in  a 
quicker  manner.  Tolneuch  means  west  wind ;  it  also 
means  off  shore,  toward  the  sea,  or  to  the  west.  Thus, 
if  an  Indian,  while  getting  his  canoe  through  the  surf, 
wishes  his  companion  to  push  her  head  off  shore,  he  will 
call  out  Tolneuch  ;  but  if  he  is  in  a  hurry,  or  there  is 
clanger,  and  it  is  necessary  to  move  quick,  he  calls  out 
much  neuch,  Cla-ath-tum  is  the  east  wind,  and  also 
means  on  shore,  and  that  is  abbreviated  to  clath  clath. 
This  style  of  abbreviation  I  learned  while  taking  my 
jaunt  in  the  canoe  from  Queniult  to  Shoal-water  Bay. 
I  had  been  accustomed  to  the  Chenook  words,  as  used 
in  the  Jargon,  martquiUy  and  martinly,  for  off  shore 
or  on  shore,  but  we  could  not  speak  them  quite  quick 
enough  when  a  wave  was  about  breaking ;  so  I  noticed 
the  Indians  adopted  the  other  expressions,  which  after- 
ward they  explained,  and  I  found  that  neuch  neuch^  or 
clath  clath,  was  quite  as  easily  spoken  as  any  other  meth- 
od of  conveying  information  I  was  aware  of. 

The  peculiar  clucking  sound  is  produced  by  the  tongue 
pressing  against  the  roof  of  the  mouth,  and  pronouncing 
a  word  ending  with  tl  as  if  there  was  the  letter  h  at  the 
end  of  the  tl ;  but  it  is  impossible,  in  any  form  or  meth- 
od of  spelling  that  I  know  of,  to  convey  the  proper  gut- 


"■i 


'f' 


■m 


316 


THE  NORTHWEST  COAST;   OR, 


;     I 


I    ■ 


tural  clucking  sound.  Sometimes  they  will,  as  if  for 
amusement,  end  all  their  words  with  tl ;  and  the  effect 
is  ludicrous  to  hear  three  or  four  talking  at  the  same 
time  with  this  singular  sound,  like  so  many  sitting  hens. 

The  Chehalis  language  is  very  rich  in  words,  and  ev- 
ery one  is  so  expressive  that  it  is  not  possible,  like  the 
Jargon,  to  make  mistakes ;  for  instance,  in  the  Jargon, 
which  is  very  limited,  the  same  word  represents  a  great 
many  different  things. 

Tupsoe  means  hair,  feathers,  the  finely-pounded  bark 
of  the  young  cedar,  grass,  blossoms,  and  leaves,  but  in 
the  Chehalis  and  Queniult  languages  each  of  these  things 
is  represented  by  a  specific  word.  They  have  also  a 
separate  word  for  every  plant,  shrub,  and  flower,  as  our 
own  botanists  have.  I  noticed  this  among  even  the 
children,  who  frequently  brought  me  collections  of  flow- 
ers. They  readily  told  me  the  name  of  each,  and  were 
certainly  more  conversant  with  a  difference  in  plants 
than  many  of  our  own  children,  and  even  grown  people, 
who  are  too  ready  to  class  all  common  plants  as  weeds. 

Many  of  the  Jargon  words,  though  entirely  different, 
yet  sound  so  much  alike  when  quickly  spoken,  that  a 
stranger  is  apt  to  get  deceived ;  and  I  have  known  per- 
sons who  did  not  well  understand  the  Jargon  get  angry 
with  an  Indian,  thinking  he  said  something  entirely  dif- 
ferent from  what  he  actually  did. 

The  words  wake^  no,  and  toic/Uj  directly  or  after,  sound, 
as  pronounced,  very  similar.  "  OAd-koj  Mac,  chd'ho^'* 
"Come  quick!  come,"  said  a  settler  one  day  to  an  In- 
dian who  was  very  busy.  "  Wield  niha  chd-ko,^*  "  I 
will  come  directly,'*  said  the  Indian.  But  the  white  man 
understood  him  to  say,  "  Wake  nika  chd-ko^''  "  I  will 
not  come,"  consequently  got  angry.  "  You  don't  under^ 
stand  Indian  talk ;  I  did  not  say  I  would  not  come," 
said  the  Indian.  If  he  had  said  Namoitka,  yes,  the 
white  man  would  have  understood.  ^ 


■^i!-] 


THREE   YEARS   AT   CHOAI/-WATER   BAY. 


317 


TTlthl  means  proud,  and  ulticut  long,  but  they  are 
readily  confounded  with  each  other.  A  friend  of  mine, 
who  was  about  leaving  the  Bay,  wished  to  tell  some  In- 
dians who  were  working  for  him  that  if,  on  his  return, 
he  found  they  had  behaved  well,  he  should  feel  very 
proud  of  them  and  glad,  used  the  following :  Ulticut 
nika  tumtuniy  or,  nfy  heart  is  long,  instead  of  ulthl  nika 
tumtumf'oTf  my  heart  is  proud.  "  He  must  have  a  funny 
heart,*'  said  the  Indian  who  related  it  to  me.  "He  says 
his  heart  is  long ;  perhaps  it  is  like  a  mouse's  tail." 

There  are  many  other  words  that  are  as  readily  mis- 
understood, but  the  above  will  be  suflScient ;  o  show  that, 
however  writers  may  agree  about  methods  of  spelling, 
no  person^ can  possibly  learn  the  Indian  language  on  the 
Coast,  so  as  to  speak  it  fluently,  without  learning  it  oral- 
ly from  the  Indian^,  and  living  among  them,  so  as  to  be- 
come familiarized  with  the  different  sounds  and  modu- 
lations of  the  voice.  The  difficulty  of  learning  either 
the  Chenook,  Chehalis,  or  Queniult  language  is,  that  the 
tribes  are  so  near  each  other,  they  frequently  use  each 
other's  words  in  conversation.  For  instance,  the  shrub 
Gaultheria  Shallon  is  called  by  the  Chenooks  Sallal, 
by  the  Chehalis  taark,  and  by  the  Queniiilts  squasowich. 
The  heart,  also,  is  called  by  the  three  different  names  of 
tumtum^  aitsemar,  and  squiUims.  And  as,  in  conversa- 
tion with  themselves,  they  readily  use  either,  it  gives 
rise  to  confusion  in  precisely  the  same  manner  as  if  one 
of  us,  in  attempting  to  speak  English  with  an  Indian,  to 
teach  him,  should  make  use  of  French  and  Latin  words. 

They  appear  to  have  a  great  aversion  to  learning  the 
English  language,  contenting  themselves  with  the  Jargon, 
which  they  look  upon  as  a  sort  of  white  man's  talk. 
They,  however,  are  not  so  averse  to  learning  French, 
probably  because  they  can  imitate  the  sounds  of  French 
words  easier  than  they  can  the  English.     I  have  several 


318 


THE  NORTHWEST  COAST;   OB, 


i        '   I: 


ij 


i 


times  endeavored  to  teach  the  alphabet  to  the  young  In- 
dians, but  they  objected,  and  yet  some  of  them  have  the 
power  of  imitation  so  good  that  they  can  copy  oflf  writing 
or  printing  very  readily.  Peter,  who  lived  with  us, 
would  amuse  himself  often  by  printing  letters.  He 
showed  me  at  one  time  a  strip  of  paper  on  which  he  had 
printed,  with  a  little  brush  I  had  given  him,  JVew  York 
Herald,  in  letters  precisely  like  the  heading  of  that  pa- 
per, and  yet  he  could  not  tell  the  name  of  a  single  letter, 
nor  would  he  learn. 

The  Coast  Indians  are  by  no  means  deficient  in  intel- 
lect. They  are,  to  all  appearance,  full  as  intelligent  and 
smart  as  those  tribes  where  we  hear  of  so  much  im- 
provement having  been  effected  by  teachers.  But  ^he 
tribes  of  the  Coast  are  broken  up  into  small  bands,  con- 
tinually roving  about,  and  the  only  aim  they  appear  to 
have  is  to  become  tyee  or  chief,  which  with  them  means 
to  get  a!>  much  property  as  they  can,  either  in  slaves, 
canoes,  blankets,  horses,  or  guns,  and  then  idle  away 
their  time.  ,  , 

It  is  difficult  to  account  for  the  great  dissimilarity  to 
be  found  among  the  Indians  in  regard  to  language. 
Living  so  near  to  each  other,  having  so  ready  and  con- 
stant communication,  living  in  the  same  style,  with  the 
same  natural  objects  around  them,  it  would  appear  as  if 
they  would  be  more  likely  to  speak  the  same  dialect. 
We  can  readily  understand  how  the  Indians  of  the 
Plains  or  in  remote  parts  of  the  country  should,  from 
different  association,  have  different  forms  of  expression, 
but  that  these  bands  between  the  Columbia  and  Fuca 
Straits  should  differ  so,  is  a  subject  that  I  am  not  eth- 
nologist enough  to  discover.  :..  .. 

During  the  winter  we  had,  with  the  exception  of  the 
usual  in-door  work,  very  little  to  amuse  us.  We  had 
occasionally  some  anecdote  told  of  matters  down  the 


,■..).■ 


THBEE  TEABS  AT  8H0AL-WATER  BAY. 


319 


beach,  and  a  characteristic  one  of  Cartumhays  I  will  re- 
late. He  had  purchased  a  demijohn  of  some  of  the  set- 
tlers, agreeing  to  pay  ten  wild  geese  for  it.  Two  he  paid 
at  once  to  close  the  bargain,  and  then  went  to  shoot  the 
remainder,  when  he  was  to  receive  the  demijohn.  In 
about  a  week  he  returned  with  a  bunch  of  geese  tied  to- 
gether by  their  heads. 

"  Count  them,"  said  he  to  the  owner  of  the  demijohn. 
He  did  so,  and  found  eight  heads,  which  was  the  num- 
ber of  geese  required  to  make  up  the  amount.  The  count 
was  reported  correct,  and  the  demijohn  delivered  to  Car- 
tumhays ;  but  when  the  geese  were  to  be  cooked,  it  was 
found  there  were  eight  heads  sure  enough,  but  only  six 
bodies,  Tomhays  having  taken  two  for  his  own  use.  It 
is  needless  to  remark  that  old  Tomhays  kept  clear  of 
that  particular  log  cabin  for  a  long  time  afterward. 

We  had  now  grown  into  the  dignity  of  a  village,  and, 
at  a  meeting  of  the  settlers,  it  was  voted  to  name  the 
town  Bruceville  (which  has  since  been  changed  to  Bruce- 
port).  We  had  received  during  the  year  several  addi- 
tions to  the  settlement,  among  whom  were  Doctor  James 
B.  Johnson,  with  his  lady  and  child.  This  was  quite  a 
comfort  to  us,  for  the  doctor,  besides  being  a  jolly,  good- 
natured,  and  hospitable  man,  was  a  gentleman,  and  quite 
skillful  in  his  profession,  and  his  arrival  maae  us  feel  safe 
on  the  score  of  medical  adfice.  A  large  grocery  store 
had  also  been  opened  by  Messrs.  Coon  and  Woodward, 
who  also  kept  a  public  house.  This  was  another  good 
thing,  as  i^  relieved  the  old  settlers  from  the  necessity 
of  entertaining  all  the  strangers  and  new-comers  into  the 
Bay.  It,  however,  was  a  means  of  relieving  the  pockets 
of  the  travelers,  for  Mr.  Coon  did  not  arrive  in  the  Bay 
at  that  primitive  period  when  hospitalities  were  gratu- 
itously tendered,  but,  on  the  contrary,  having,  as  he  said, 
come  to  make  his  pile,  he  appeared  anxious  to  do  so  in 
the  shortest  possible  time. 


is! 


Jftl-jSj^j^l 


'1  li 


I;    I 


320 


THE  NORTHWEST  C0A8T ;   OB,      i 


-'■i  A  blacksmith  had  also  arrived  with  his  family  some 
months  previous.  He  was  a^  excellent  workman,  but  a 
worthless  fellow,  and  finally  ran  off.  ^ii  4.. 

\i  There  were  fortunately  no  lawyers,  so  Doctor  Johnson 
and  myself  were  appointed  to  take  the  place  of  legal  wig' 
dom ;  and,  having  found  an  old  copy  of  Iowa  statutes, 
we  expounded  law  to  the  learned  and  erudite  justice, 
Squire  Champ,  whose  court  was  pretty  well  attended, 
either  for  fiin,  frolic,  or  business,  to  pass  off  the  time 
during  the  winter  months.  But  we  had  no  more  crim- 
inal trials  after  the  one  when  Joe  was  locked  up  in  the 
hen-coop,  although  several  trials  of  civil  cases  came  up, 
which  the  squire  usually  disposed  of  in  a  very  uncivil 
manner.  Neither  the  arguments  of  the  counsel  nor  the 
decisions  of  the  court  would  probably  be  looked  upon  as 
very  learned  by  the  legal  profession,  but  they  served  a 
very  good  purpose,  and  gave  the  same  results  that  all 
lawsuits  do — satisfaction  to  the  winner  and  indignation 
to  the  loser. 

I  had  another  professional  call  to  perform  the  part  of 
doctor.  During  the  winter,  an  old  Indian,  called  George 
or  Squintum,  who  lived  near  Hussell's  house,  got  into  a 
drunken  frolic  one  night  in  his  lodge,  during  which  he 
received  a  blow  from  a  hatchet,  thrown  by  his  wife's 
brother,  a  perfect  young  savage,  named  Kohpoh.  He 
was  cut  in  the  cords  of  his  neck  in  such  a  manner  as  to 
perfectly  paralyze  all  his  limbs.  Dr.  Cooper,  who  was 
still  residing  at  Bussell's,  was  called,  and  dressed  the 

wound.        ■^rh\    ;vv  li    .;?!l-Hl'is«  lihi  ^j^i   >P'/Viivl  m   i.\i ,t:^si.^ -^^ 

^i  A  few  days  after  I  met  the  doctor,  when  he  remarked, 
"  Pray,  what  is  that  powerful  medicine  you  have  given 
to  the  Indians  formerly  ?"  I  requested  him  to  explain, 
for  I  did  not  know  what  he  meant  He  said  that  he 
had  found  it  necessary  to  use  caustic  to  cauterize  old 
George's  back,  but  that  individual,  not  experiencing  im- 


k. 


THREE  TEABS  AT  SHOAL-WATER  BAT. 


821 


mediate  relief,  had  told  him  that  I  was  a  better  doctor, 
and  had  a  skookum.,  or  strong  medicine,  which  he  knew 
would  cure  him. 

I  told  the  doctor  I  expected  it  was  the  celebrated  lin- 
iment I  had  formerly  used.  He  laughed.  "  Well,"  he 
added,  "  if  you  have  any  more,  I  wish  you  would  try  it. 
It  can't  hurt  the  old  fellow,  if  it  don't  do  him  any  good, 
and  he  seems  to  have  great  faith  in  it." 

I  then  went  to  Br.  Johnson,  and  getting  from  him 
some  of  the  most  powerful  aqua  ammonias,  proceeded  to 
the  lodge  of  old  George.  "How  are  you,  George?"  I 
asked.  "I  have  come  to  give  you  some  medicine." 
"  Good,"  he  replied ;  "  I  can't  move ;  I  am  all  dead  but 
my  heart  and  tongue.  My  heart  is  strong,  and  I  cau 
talk." 

I  told  his  squaw  to  raise  him  up,  which  she  did,  and 
I  requested  him  to  smell  of  the  ammonia.  "  Smell  hard, 
George,"  said  I.  He  gave  a  powerful  sniff  at  the  bottle, 
and  the  result  was  that  he  was  kn(>cked  over  immedi- 
ately. "  Ugh ! "  he  grunted,  as  his  wife  gathered  him  up ; 
"  that  is  good — that  is  medicine.     Now  I  will  get  welL" 

I  then  asked  his  wife  for  some  whale  oil,  which  she 
brought  me,  but  it  smelled  so  bad  that  it  would  have  al- 
most killed  flies.  However,  I  poured  some  into  a  bottle 
w'th  the  ammonia,  producing  a  compoxind  which  had,  as 
one  remarked,  a  *^*  solid  stink." 

This  high-scented  liniment  was  then  rubbed  all  over 
the  old  fellow,  producing,  as  he  said,  a  sensation  like  a 
thousand  needles.  He  was  delighted,  and  expected  to 
get  well  in  a  couple  of  days ;  but  I  assured  him  that  if 
he  recovered  in  six  months  he  would  be  fortunate.  He 
did,  however,  recover  during  the  summer  so  far  as  to  be 
able  to  do  a  little  work,  and  gradually  got  well ;  but  he 
always  thought  that  my  skookum  medicine  was  what 
cured  him.*~[  r    »i  v-  .  .     > 

02 


f,Mi  fi 


m\ 


i;i 


322 


THE  NORTHWEST  COAST;   OR, 


'■  fl 


W 


Mr.  Kohpoh  came  very  near  having  his  head  broke 
the  following  summer  by  the  captain  and  myself,  through 
mistake.  Kohpoh,  or,  as  the  captain  called  him,  "  Cof- 
feepot," was  a  notoriously  bad  fellow,  and  was  hated  by 
the  whites  and  feared  by  the  Indians. 

We  had  told  him  never  to  come  round  our  house,  for 
his  character  as  a  thief  was  too  notorious  to  have  his 
company  desirable.  It  appeared,  however,  that  he  got 
angry  with  Peter,  our  boy  (or,  rather,  young  man,  for 
both  Kohpoh  and  himself  were  nearly  of  the  same  age, 
and  both  over  twenty),  and  he  determined  to  have  his 
revenge. 

One  evening,  after  we  had  gone  to  bed,  we  heard  our 
two  dogs  barking  fiercely  on  the  marsh  near  the  hous^. 
The  captain  said  he  believed  they  had  a  'coon  in  one  of 
the  ditches,  and  proposed  that  we  take  a  lantern  and  go 
for  him.  So,  without  waiting  to  dress  ourselves,  we  each 
seized  a  club,  and,  taking  a  lantern,  went  out  among  the 
grass  to  find  and  kill  the  'coon.  The  dogs  still  kept  up 
their  yelping,  and,  as  we  approached,  seemed  very  much 
excited.  Each  of  us  held  up  our  club  to  strike,  while  the 
old  man  directed  the  rays  of  the  lantern  to  light  us  to 
the  game.  Directly  the  captain  stumbled  over  a  dark 
object  just  as  he  brought  down  his  club  with  a  hollow 
thump  on  the  ribs  of  some  live  animal.  "  It's  a  bear !" 
roared  out  the  captain;  "look  out  for  him!"  "No,  it 
is  not,"  said  I,  for  I  had  caught  the  glimpse  of  a  blue 
blanket ;  "  it's  an  Indian."  "  Hit  him,"  says  the  cap- 
tain; "curse  him — who  is  he?"  "I  think,"  said  I, 
"  it's  old  Colote ;  but  let  us  see."  With  that  I  seized 
hold  of  the  fellow's  hair,  and  pulled  his  face  up  so  that 
we  could  ascertain,  and  then  found  it  was  Kohpoh,  who, 
on  his  knees  and  elbows,  was  curled  up  like  a  hedgehog. 
We  were  both  very  much  vexed  when  we  found  who  it 
was,  for  we  knew  he  was  there  for  no  good  purpose.    "  I 


THREE  YEABS  AT  SHOAL-WATER  BAT. 


323 


am  sorry,"  said  the  captain,  "  I  didn't  know  who  it  was, 
for  if  I  had  he  would  have  been  very  likely  to  have  got 
what  I  should  heve  given  to  a  bear ;  and  I  have  a  good 
mind  now  to  y\e  him  something,  to  learn  him  better 
than  to  prowl  around  here."  *'  Let  us  first  find  out 
what  he  wants,"  said  I.  Kohpoh,  who  was  very  much 
frightened,  then  told  me  that  he  had  come  down  to  do 
some  mischief  to  Peter,  but  would  go  home  directly  if 
we  let  him  off.  He  was  afraid  of  the  dogs,  which  was 
the  reason  he  had  hid  in  the  grass.  He  did  not  feel  at 
all  easy  about  his  ribs  from  the  thump  he  had  received 
from  the  captain's  cudgel,  and  was  ready  to  do  any  thing 
I  should  propose  for  the  sake  of  getting  off.  I  told  him 
to  go  up  and  give  Peter  his  blanket  as  a  settlement  of 
their  difficulty,  and  then  leave.  He  did  so,  and  in  a 
few  minutes  was  out  of  sight,  running  for  dear  life. 

He  did  not  relish  the  parting  with  his  blanket,  but  took 
occasion  to  steal  it  back  from  Peter  a  few  days  after'^ 
ward ;  but  he  was  very  careful  never  to  come  round  us 
again  at  night,  and  very  seldom  dared  to  come  in  the 
daytime. 

I  frequently  went  up  the  river  with  Peter,  either  to 
shoot  ducks  or  to  help  him  about  his  otter  and  beaver 
traps.  One  day  we  extended  our  journey  much  farther 
than  usual,  and  on  the  edge  of  a  marsh  or  prairie  dis- 
covered the  poles  of  some  Indian's  temporary  lodge.  We 
paddled  up  to  see  what  it  was,  when  Peter  pronounced 
it  to  have  been  put  there  by  some  Klickatat  Indians,  for 
that  was  their  style.  Peter  was  very  much  frightened, 
and  insisted  on  returning.  I  asked  him  who  the  Klick- 
atats  were.  He  said  they  were  from  the  interior ;  that 
sometimes  they  came  through  the  woods  to  Shoal-water 
Bay  while  hunting  for  elk ;  that  they  were  very  hostile 
to  the  Bay  and  Coast  Indians,  and  did  not  hesitate  to 
murder  them  and  steal  their  effects.     As  I  had  neither 


#11 


Vt' 


■%\f""' 


u 


324 


THE  NORTHWEST  COAST;   OB, 


'>  f 


heard  nor  cared  about  the  Klickatats,  I  thought  it  very 
doubtful  about  their  coming  over  the  mountains  to  Shoal- 
water  Bay  when  they  could  have  come  easier  by  the  Co- 
lumbia; but  he  would  go  no  farther,  and  we  returned 
home.  Here  we  found  Cletheas  and  his  wife,  with  a  rel- 
ative of  theirs,  a  Cowlitz  Indian,  who  corroborated  all 
Peter's  surmises.  He  said  that  during  the  past  sum- 
mer a  party  of  Klickatats,  with  whom  he  was  acquaint- 
ed, had  invited  him  to  join  them  on  a  hunt,  as  they  wish- 
ed to  go  to  Shoal-water  Bay,  and  he  knew  the  way  bet- 
ter than  they  did,  as  he  was  a  hunter,  and  constantly  in 
the  woods  between  the  Cowlitz  and  the  Bay. 

They  did  not  appear,  however,  very  anxious  to  kill 
any  more  game  than  what  they  wished  to  eat  on  the 
wayj  and  finally  told  him  that  their  object  was  to  iind 
out  how  many  white  persons  there  were  about  the  Bay ; 
and  they  actually  went  to  the  residence  of  every  white 
person,  and  had  ascertained  the  number  of  inhabitants ; 
and  that  it  was  the  same  party  who  had  put  up  the  lodge- 
poles  Peter  and  myself  had  found.  His  impression  was 
that  they  had  some  hostile  feelings  against  the  Indians 
of  the  Bay,  and  had  merely  taken  the  account  of  the 
whites  as  a.  blind  to  him  of  their  real  motives ;  and  that, 
fearing  they  meant  to  do  harm  to  the  Indians,  he  had 
come  down  to  tell  his  relatives  to  be  on  their  guard. 
Now  this  might  all  have  been  true;  but  subsequent 
events  have  proved  to  my  mind  that  it  was  a  part  of  the 
system  of  general  rising  that  was  about  to  take  place 
among  the  Indians,  and  which  did  take  place  the  follow- 
ing year ;  and  among  the  most  hostile  and  ruthless  were 
thb  very  tribe  of  Klickatats.  And  I  think  the  visit  of 
the  Cowlitz  Indian  was  to  apprise  those  of  the  Bay  of 
the  move ;  but  when  he  learned  that  I  had  found  out 
about  the  old  lodge-poles,  he  artfiilly  told  his  story  to 
me  so  as  to  conceal  the  truth.     At  edl  events,  I  paid  no 


V  A'  r 

,y  A 


THREE  YEARS  AT  SHOAL-WATER  BAY. 


825 


attention  to  it  one  way  or  the  other,  and  for  a  time  for- 
got all  about  it.  -  y 

As  Christmas  drew  near  the  game  seemed  to  decrease ; 
and)  although  we  had  a  plenty  of  salt  salmon  and  pota- 
toes, we  thought  we  could  not  celebrate  the  day  without 
having  a  goose,  or  duck,  or  some  kind  of  a  biid;  but 
nothing  came  near  us  but  crows.  The  captain  said  crow 
was  good,  so  was  eagle,  so  was  owl ;  he  reasoned  in  this 
manner :  A  crow,  said  he,  is  good,  because  it  has  a  crop 
like  a  hen ;  and  eagles,  hawks,  and  owls  are  good,  for, 
although  they  have  no  crops,  yet  they  do  not  feed  upon 
carrion.  So  we  addressed  ourselves  to  the  subject  of 
procuring  a  Christmas  dinner.  Fortunately  or  unfortu- 
nately,  I  shot  a  couple  of  crows.  They  were  very  an- 
cient, entirely  void  of  fat,  and  altogether  presented  to  my 
mind  a  sorry  picture  of  a  feast.  But  the  captain  was  de- 
lighted. "I  will  make  a  sea-pie  of  them,"  said  he,  "and 
then  you  can  judge  what  crow-meat  is."  The  birds 
were  cleaned  and  cut  up,  and  a  fine  sea-pie  made  with 
dumplings,  salt  pork,  potatoes,  and  a  couple  of  onions. 
And  precisely  at  meridian  on  Christmas-day  (for  the  old 
captain  liked  to  keep  up  sea-hours),  the  contents  of  the 
iron  pot  were  emptied  into  a  tin  pan,  and  set  before  ua 
smoking  hot. 

I  tried  my  best  to  eat  crow,  but  it  was  too  tough  for 
me.  "  How  do  you  like  it  ?"  said  the  old  man,  as,  with 
a  desperate  effort,  he  wrenched  off  a  mouthful  from  a  leg. 
"I  am  like  the  man,"  said  I,  "who  was  once  placed  in 
the  same  position :  *  I  ken  eat  crow,  but  hang  me  if  I 
hanker  arter  it.' "  "  Well,"  says  the  captain,  "  it  w 
somewhat  hard ;  but  try  some  of  the  soup  and  dump- 
lings, and  don't  condemn  crow-meat  from  this  trial,  for 
you  shot  the  grandfather  and  grcjidmother  of  the  flock : 
no  wonder  they  are  tough;  shoot  a  young  one  next 
time."     "  No  more  crow-meat  for  me,  thank  you,"  said 


f' 


mMk:% 


\l 


826 


THE  NORTHWEST  COAST;    OR, 


i 


I.     So  I  finished  my  Christmas  dinner  on  dumplings 
and  potatoes. 

The  captain  was  famous  for  cooking  every  thing  that 
had  ever  lived.  Wo  had  eaten  of  young  eagles,  hawks, 
owls,  lynx,  beaver,  seal,  otter,  gulls,  pelican,  and,  finally, 
wound  up  with  crow ;  and  the  crow  was  the  worst  of  the 
lot.  The  captain  once  tried  to  bake  a  skunk,  but,  not 
having  properly  cleaned  it,  it  smelt  so  unsavory  when 
the  bake-kcttle  was  opened  that  he  was  forced  to  throw 
skunk  and  kettle  into  the  river,  which  he  did  with  a  sigh, 
remarking  what  a  pity  it  was  that  it  smelled  so  strong, 
when  it  was  baked  so  nice  and  brown.  However,  the 
captain  could  get  up  some  nice  messes,  and  a  favorite 
pudding  of  his  is  well  worth  knowing  how  to  make ;  he 
called  it  a  fisherman's  pudding,  and  it  is  made  thus :  Cut 
some  salt  pork  up  fine,  and  fry  it  slightly  in  the  kettle 
or  pot  you  wish  to  make  the  pudding  in ;  then  add  some 
boiling  water,  and  stir  in  as  much  molasses  as  will  make 
it  pretty  sv^reet.  This  is  then  put  on  the  fire,  and,  while 
boiling,  Indian  meal  is  to  be  gently  sifted  in  with  one 
hand,  and  well  stirred  in  at  the  same  time  with  a  spoon 
till  the  whole  acquires  the  proper  consistency,  and  then, 
after  a  puff  or  two,  it  is  cooked.  A  hungry  man  can 
soon  tell  whether  it  tastes  good  or  not.  I  always  found 
that  the  fisherman's  pudding  was  well  liked  by  every  one 
who  partook  of  it,  whether  white  men  or  Indians.     ,    , 


..     ■it'i^t-^.y  ' 

il\    :                           •-,,.*          r  .'^     •  .  ; 

■    ^vj,     "'    ••   fi  '-H  tif*/ ■>'<■'■ 

1             -.         ■-                  '-      .V'  ..      >     1    ." 

•  ' 

;      ,.  ,      fr,     -^     ^t'tj^f  ,v-i«»^ 

u:    ■<  •■            ,«^i     'u;    •- .'  isri 

•  <  J 

■      ,lVvti»    .*:v|>>.-' 

■K'jWii.V'J    I'Jit'.    '■  1  ■■   '-       -.  ,  .     '.1'         ■   ' 

',       ! 

,....-:   i  ►•■',;ft-^*«.-.,,in 

,4 

.    III.  :.>     )■  iiiV,}   .i^-»*    |-^  ■,;■>.! 

';i'".^'^!  ■';»;  ■-  'I'i.     ;.-:--?wT'.:.   .' 

-.      -   ■ 

.•          ./-S?./;*     ^      :Hw|.''^l'4u.-     ,,-,; 

i:/;;^;'    -^am         -"^   ;■    :  -'vi--    : 

•-!   ■•. 

\     ■';,(     ;.'i'i'    '.i'i^^i^V  - 

ivi^f*     .^  >i  ;.  \:<  ■  ;..ini  -io    /.;  ■ 

i '_   ';.• . 

;^\»  i»ts>':&'   i«*v>-  ^,_y^„^^. 

THBEE  TEARS  AT  BHOAL-WATER  BAY.  827 


4<'A-      -     r. 


4ur 


CHAPTER  XIX. 


Indian  Treaties. — Invitation  to  be  present  at  a  Treaty  on  the  Chehalit 
River. — Journey  to  tlie  Chehalis. — Various  Adventures. — We  reach 
the  River  and  encamp. — A  lively  Scene  going  up  to  the  Treaty-ground. 
— Description  of  the  Encampment  —  Governor  Stevens.  —  Whites 
present. — Indians. — Uniform  of  the  Governor. — Colonel  Simmons. — 
Story-telling. — The  Governor  backs  up  my  Stories. — Judge  Ford.— 
Commissary  Cushman. — The  Treaty. — Indians  will  not  agree  to  it. — 
Number  of  Indians  in  the  Coast  Tribes. — Tleyuk. — Governor  takes 
away  Tleyuk's  "Paper." — Indians  have  no  Faith  in  the  Americans. — 
The  Conduct  of  the  Hudson  Bay  Company  contrasted  with  that  of 
the  Americans. — We  start  for  Home  and  encounter  a  Storm. — Che- 
halis River. — Adventures  on  our  Journey  home. — Colonel  Anderson's 
Adventures.  , 

During  the  winter  I  received  from  Governor  Stevens 
a  letter  inviting  me  to  be  present  at  a  meeting  to  be  held 
early  in  the  spring  on  the  Chehalis  River,  for  the  purpose 
of  making  a  treaty  with  some  of  the  Coast  tribes  relative 
to  a  purchase  of  their  lands.  This  meeting  was  to  take 
place  at  the  clearing  of  a  settler  about  ten  miles  from  the 
mouth  of  the  river,  and  the  day  designated  was  the  25th 
of  February,  1855.  On  the  6th  day  of  February  a  let- 
ter was  brought  to  me  from  Colonel  H.  D.  Cocke,  who 
was  at  that  time  at  Gray*s  Harbor,  superintending  the 
arrangements  for  the  forthcoming  meeting.  This  letter 
informed  me  that  the  colonel  would  meet  me  at  Arm- 
strong's Point  on  the  24th  of  the  month,  and  convey  me 
up  the  river.  As  Doctor  Cooper  was  desiroys  to  go  to 
Olympia,  he  concluded  this  wad  a  very  good  opportunity 
to  accompany  the  governor  on  his  return,  and  decided  to 
go  with  me.  While  we  were  making  our  arrangements 
for  leaving,  the  Indian  sub-agent  for  the  southwestern 
section  of  the  Territory,  Mr.  William  B.  Tappan,  arrived, 


Mm 


■3^' 
-?ii^ 


* 


328 


THE  NORTHWEST  COAST;    OR, 


1 


;»! 


4'*- 


on  his  way  to  the  camp.  He  had  stveral  Indians  with 
him,  and  could  and  should  have  taken  all  the  Ohenooks 
and  Shoal-water  Bay  Indians;  but,  as  he  had  misunder- 
stood his  instructions,  he  refused  to  have  any  of  them 
accompany  us  except  the  few  he  had  with  him  and  the 
few  who  lived  on  the  north  side  of  the  Bay,  whom  he 
classed  as  Chehalis  Indians.  Among  these  last  were  Old 
Toke  and  his  family,  who  at  that  time  lived  on  the  north 
side  of  the  Bay,  near  the  house  of  Mr.  J.  F.  Barrows,  who 
had  settled  there  during  the  preceding  year.  After  we 
had  made  all  our  arrangements,  and  engaged  the  Indians 
to  take  our  blankets,  we  crossed  the  Bay  in  Toke*s  canoe, 
and  remained  all  night  at  Mr.  Barrows's  house,  the  In- 
dians going  to  their  lodge. 

After  a  most  hospitable  reception  and  a  good  night  s 
sleep,  we  were  all  ready  for  a  start  by  sunrise  the  follow- 
ing morning.  It  was  clear,  bright,  and  frosty,  with  just 
enough  of  a  northwest  breeze  to  make  quick  walking 
agreeable.  We  were  all  in  the  best  of  spirits,  and  as 
Tappan  was  full  of  anecdotes,  which  he  related  in  a 
sprightly  manner,  we  soon  got  over  the  walk  we  had  to 
take  to  join  the  canoes,  which  the  Indians  had  paddled 
round  the  point  some  distance  ahead,  for  we  preferred  the 
walk  to  sitting  still  in  a  canoe.  We  shortly  arrived  at 
a  little  creek  which  runs  into  the  Bay  directly  at  the  foot 
of  the  bluff  of  Cape  Shoal-water.  Here  the  Indians 
stopped  to  haul  up  their  canoes  and  turn  them  bottom 
up.  Each  one  was  then  assigned  a  portion  of  the  camp 
luggage.  We  did  not  have  any  thing  with  us  except 
our  blankets  and  one  day's  provisions,  as  the  governor 
had  sent  word  that  a  tent  and  rations  would  be  ready  on 
our  arrival.  When  the  Indians  had  fixed  their  last  pack 
and  tied  their  last  knot,  they  pronounced  themselves  to 
be  ready,  and  we  set  off.  We  walked  so  briskly  that 
we  were  soon  through  the  woods,  and  over  the  plain,  and 


idlans  with 
!  Chenooks 
,  misunder- 
ny  of  them 
im  and  the 
',  whom  he 
Bt  were  Old 
m  the  north 
irrows,  who 
After  we 
the  Indians 
jke's  canoe, 
use,  the  In- 

rood  night  s 
J  the  foUow- 
y,  with  just 
ok  walking 
rits,  and  as 
elated  in  a 
c  we  had  to 
lad  paddled 
•referred  the 
Y  arrived  at 
jT  at  the  foot 
he  Indians 
lem  bottom 
of  the  camp 
1  us  except 
le  governor 
je  ready  on 
ir  last  pack 
emselves  to 
)riskly  that 
plain,  and 


THREE  YEARS  AT  SHOAL-WATER  BAY. 


329 


on  to  the  beautiful  beach.  Here  we  felt  the  full  force  of 
the  sharp,  frosty  morning  breeze,  which  had  the  effect  to 
quicken  our  steps,  although  it  was  by  no  means  very 
cold.  The  doctor  had  a  double-barreled  fowling-piece, 
for  the  purpose  of  obtaining  Specimens  of  birds.  Tappan 
and  myself  had  no  weapons,  either  pistol  or  gun;  but  one 
carried  a  loaf  of  bread,  and  the  other  some  boxes  of  sar- 
dines, for  our  lunch.  The  Indians  could  not  keep  up 
with  us,  as  they  had,  besides  our  blankets,  all  their  own 
camp  equipage  and  provisions,  and  consequently  moved 
slow.  At  noon  we  halted  at  the  side  of  a  little  stream 
of  fresh  water  that  runs  across  the  sands  of  the  beach, 
and  having  found  a  big  clam-shell,  which  we  used  in- 
stead of  a  dipper,  sat  down  on  an  old  spar  and  took  our 
dinner,  consisting  of  sardines,  bread,  and  water.  This 
brook  of  water,  however,  is  only  fit  to  use  in  the  winter 
months,  as  during  the  summer  it  is  very  brackish  and 
unfit  to  drink.  There  is  a  large  quantity  of  water  dis- 
chaiged  from  it  during  the  rainy  season,  and  at  high  tide 
it  is  impossible  to  cross  without  swimming ;  but  during 
the  summer,  and  at  low  tide,  it  is  nothing  but  a  mere 
brook  a  few  inches  deep,    .jr.!?  ;^.  :.-<  ,s 

While  we  were  waiting,  a  son  of  old  Carcowan's  came 
up  on  horseback.  The  doctor  instantly  made  the  In- 
dian an  offer  to  hire  it,  for  he  alleged  that  he  was  quite 
tired,  and  proposed  that  we  should  adopt  the  old  plan 
of  ride  and  tie.  I  told  him  that  he  and  Tappan  might 
do  the  riding  a;nd  tying,  for  I  preferred  to  walk.  So, 
after  finishing  our  dinner,  we  moved  along.  First  the 
doctor  rode  a  short  distance,  and  then  waited  for  Tap- 
pan  to  take  the  steed.  But  I  soon  found  they  both 
began  to  look  blue,  for  the  air  was  quite  keen,  and  the 
horse  not  very  swift,  and  riding  made  them  feel  quite 
chilly.  At  last  Tappan  declined  riding  any  more,  and 
left  the  animal  to  the  doctor,  who  finally  concluded  that 


"Its 


'  •Vt;'.!"*'  If] 


Is^  j 


1$' 


\k 


M 


i4l 


330 


THE  NORTHWEST  COAST;   OR, 


■    ! 


ll 


4 


the  best  way  to  keep  warm  was  to  get  off  and  walk ;  but 
his  horse  did  not  like  being  led,  and  it  was  with  diffi- 
culty the  doctor  could  get  him  along.  In  the  mean  time 
Tappan  and  myself  had  walked  on,  and  about  three 
o'clock  arrived  at  the  lodge  of  old  Carcowan,  which  had 
recently  been  built  near  Armstrong's  house.  Here  we 
found  Colonel  Cocke  and  a  son  of  Judge  Ford's,  who, 
with  a  retinue  of  Indians,  were  waiting  our  arrival,  and 
had  ready,  roasting  at  the  fire,  great  strips  of  juicy  beef, 
which  they  had  brought  down  the  Chehalia  River. 
While  we  were  warming  ourselves,  the  doctor  arrived 
with  his  Bosinante,  and  we  were  soon  ready  for  our 
meal,  which  consisted  of  the  aforesaid  beef,  roast  pot»* 
toes,  coffee,  and  hard  bread,  and  to  this  Carcowan's  wife, 
Aunt  Sally,  gave  us  some  fresh-baked  bread,  just  out  of 
the  ashes,  so  we  made  a  very  hearty  meal.  The  colonel 
now  proposed  that  we  should  at  once  start  for  the  camp ; 
but,  as  the  Indiana  had  not  yet  arrived  with  our  blank- 
ets, the  doctor  and  myself  concluded  to  wait  till  they 
came  up,  and  let  the  others  go.  The  wind  was  blowing 
fresh,  and  it  was  quite  rough,  but  they  all  bundled  into 
a  canoe  snd  started.  I  watched  them  a  while,  and  at 
last  saw  them  coming  back,  and  then  found  that  their 
canoe  leaked  so  badly  they  could  not  keep  her  free.  On 
hauling  her  out  and  exairining  her,  they  discovered  that 
a  knot  had  been  knocked  out  of  her  bottom,  and  the  wa- 
ter was  coming  in  so  fast  that  in  a  short  time  they  would 
have  foundered.  But  the  Indians  stopped  up  the  hole 
with  a  bunch  of  grass,  and  again  they  were  off,  and  this 
time  with  better  luck.  Gray's  Harbor  is  a  rough  place 
usually,  but  in  the  winter  and  spring  months  it  is  quite 
dangerous  to  cross  it  in  canoes.  It  is  much  worse  than 
Shoal-water  Bay  in  this  respect,  for  the  channels  are  so 
much  narrower  that  the  tide  rushes  in  and  out  with  great 
velocity  and  turbulence ;  yet  these  Indians  are  so  ac- 


4^^ 


walk;  but 
with  diffi- 
mean  time 
boat  three 
which  had 

Here  we 
brd's,  who, 
irrival,  and 
■juicy  beef, 
alia  River. 
!tor  arrived 
tdy  for  our 
roast  pota- 
)wan's  wife, 
just  out  of 
The  colonel 
r  the  camp ; 
i  our  blank- 
ait  tUl  they 
v^as  blowing 
»undled  into 
hile,  and  at 
d  that  their 
ir  fipee.     On 
covered  that 
and  the  wa- 
j  they  would 
up  the  hole 
off,  and  this 
rough  place 
LS  it  is  quite 
1  worse  than 
nnels  are  so 
it  with  great 

are  so  ac- 


'lis 


t  ■■■N 


<tt 


Mf. 


THREE  YEABS  AT  SHOAL-WATER  BAY. 


333 


customed  to  it  that  thej  will  cross  at  almost  any  time 
in  loaded  canoes. 

It  was  now  our  turn  to  start,  and,  as  the  doctor  had 
made  a  bargain  with  my  quondam  friend  Caslah^han  to 
take  us  up  the  n'/cr,  we  embarked  in  his  canoe,  with  as 
many  Indians  as  could  stow  into  her.  Caslah^han  had 
verj  high  ideas  of  the  worth  of  his  services,  and  asked 
some  two  or  three  blankets  from  the  doctor  and  a  couple 
of  bags  of  flour  from  me ;  but  the  doctor  told  him  the 
governor  would  settle  when  we  got  to  camp,  and  he  was 
satisfied  with  that  promise.  ^ 

Our  canoe  was  so  crowded  that  she  was  scarcely  out 
of  the  water,  which  occasionally  swashed  into  her,  threat- 
ening to  give  us  a  ducking;  but  the  Indian  bailed  it 
out ;  and,  as  the  canoe  was  strong,  and  did  not  leak  a 
drop,  I  felt  comparatively  safe.  Caslah^haii  soon  hoisted 
his  sail,  and  we  crossed  the  Bay  in  a  short  time,  and  en- 
tered the  mouth  of  the  Chehalis  River  just  about  sun- 
down. The  tide  was  now  running  out  strongly,  and 
the  Indians  concluded  to  camp  for  the  night,  and,  having 
found  a  suitable  place,  we  went  ashore,  and  were  soon 
joined  by  two  or  three  other  canoes  full  of  Indians. 

As  usual,  the  first  thing  was  to  kindle  a  fire,  and  then 
the  Indians  went  to  work  to  cook  their  supper,  which 
culinary  operation,  being  simply  to  warm  some  dried  sal- 
mon over  the  coals,  was  soon  accomplished.  The  doctor 
and  myself,  for  the  sake  of  amusement,  cooked  some 
slices  of  bacon  for  our  supper,  but  we  had  eaten  so  re- 
cently that  we  gave  the  principal  part  to  the  Indians,  and 
then  hunted  round  for  a  sheltered  spot  to  pass  the  night. 
Under  the  gnarled  roots  of  a  great  spruce-tree  which 
grew  near  the  edge  of  the  bank,  and  had  been  under- 
mined by  the  water  during  some  freshet,  seemed  to  be 
just  the  place,  and  here  we  made  our  bed.  First  an 
Indiarrubber  sheet  belonging  to  the  doctor  was  spread. 


m 


/'A 


f^l 


•*f  ., 


■^     « 


834 


THE  NORTHWEST  COAST;   OR, 


/        1 

,  1 

'■  '1 
■( 

-'■^-jMbJ 

H' 

w 

'.U^ 

I 

to  keep  off  an j  dampness  from  the  ground ;  then  some 
Indian  mats  on  top  of  that,  covered  with  a  blanket, 
formed  a  nice,  warm,  dry  bed,  and  our  other  blankets 
and  coats  furnished  the  covering.  Our  pillows  were  our 
carpet-bags,  and  on  them  we  laid  our  heads,  and  slept 
as  soundly  as  possible  till  daylight,  when  the  bustling 
of  the  Indians  waked  rs  up,  and  we  found  them  all  ready 
to  start.  We  had  been  joined  during  the  night  by  some 
fifteen  or  twenty  canoes  of  different  sizes,  all  filled  with 
men,  women,  and  children. 

As  soon  as  we  were  ready  we  all  started,  with  a  whoop 
and  a  yell,  without  waiting  for  breakfast,  and  away  we 
went  up  stream  for  the  camp.  The  scene  was  both  nov- 
el and  interesting  to  me,  and  I  watched  it  w:^h  a  good 
deal  of  attention.     ,^^;>^  t^jv.  "fi^  i^,:^  i  /  .  I 

The  camp  was  about  ten  miles  distant  up  the  river ; 
and  as  we  could  not  get  any  breakfast  until  we  reached 
there,  and  the  morning  at  that  early  hour  was  quite  frosty, 
the  doctor  and  myself  found  it  difiicult  to  keep  warm.  But 
the  In4ians  did  not  seem  to  mind  it  at  all ;  for,  excited 
with  the  desire  to  outvie  each  other  in  their  attempts  to 
be  first  to  camp,  they  paddled,  and  screamed,  and  shout- 
ed, and  laughed,  and  cut  up  all  sorts  of  antics,  which 
served  to  keep  them  in  a  glow.  As  we  approached  the 
camp  we  all  stopped  at  a  bend  in  the  river,  about  three 
quarters  of  a  mile  distant,  when  all  began  to  wash  their 
faces,  comb  their  hair,  and  put  on  their  best  clothes.  The 
women  got  out  their  bright  shawls  and  dresses,  and 
painted  their  faces  with  vermilion,  or  red  ochre,  and 
grease,  and  decked  themselves  out  with  their  beads  and 
trinkets,  and  in  about  ten  minutes  we  were  a  gay-look- 
ing set ;  and  certainly  the  appearance  of  the  canoes  filled 
with  Indians  dressed  in  their  brightest  colors  was  very 
picturesque,  but  I  should  have  enjoyed  it  better  had  the 
weather  been  a  little  warmer. 


then  some 
a,  blanket, 
r  blankets 
s  were  our 
,  and  slept 
le  bustling 
n  all  ready 
ht  by  some 
filled  with 

•s 

ith  a  whoop 
d  away  we 
,8  both  nov- 
r'h  a  good 

)  the  river ; 
we  reached 
pite  frosty, 
warm.   But 
for,  excited 
attempts  to 
,  and  shout- 
ntics,  which 
)roached  the 
about  three 
)  wash  their 
lothes.   The 
dresses,  and 
I  ochre,  and 
ir  beads  and 
a  gay-look- 
cahoes  filled 
>rs  was  very 
Btter  had  the 


4>-,. 


tt 


■i^ 


'  Sf- 


if 


w 


*'i 


■11  1 

il    < 


i\       } 


# 


THREE  TEARS  AT  SHOAL-WATER  BAY. 


337 


About  9  o^clock  we  reached  the  camp,  verj  cold  and 
hungry.  Governor  Stevens  gave  us  a  cordial  welcome, 
and,  after  expressing  the  gratification  he  felt  at  the  sight 
of  so  many  canoes  filled  with  well-dressed  Indians,  told 
us  to  go  to  the  camp-fire,  where  he  had  ordered  a  break- 
fast to  be  ready  for  us,  and  we  soon  had  a  hearty  meal 
of  beefsteak,  hot  biscuit,  and  coffee,  and  were  then  shown 
the  tent  which  had  been  assigned  to  ua,  where  we  pro- 
ceeded to  put  ourselves  to  rights,  and  then  took  a  look 
around  ^o  see  the  lay  of  the  land. 

The  camp-ground  was  situated  on  a  bluff  bank  of  the 
river,  on  its  south  side,  about  ten  miles  from  Gray's 
Harbor,  on  the  claim  of  Mr.  James  Filkington.  A  space 
of  tw.o  or  three  acres  had  been  cleared  from  logs  and 
brushwood,  which  had  been  piled  up  so  as  to  form  an 
oblong  square.  One  great  tree,  which  formed  the  south- 
em  side  to  the  camp,  served  also  as  an  immense  back- 
log, against  which  our  great  camp-fire,  and  sundry  other 
smaller  ones,  were  kindled,  both  to  cook  by  and  to  warm 
us.  In  the  centre  of  the  square,  and  next  the  river,  was 
the  governor's  tent,  and  between  it  and  the  south  side 
of  the  ground  were  the  commissary's  and  other  tents,  all 
ranged  in  proper  order.  Bude  tables,  laid  in  open  air, 
and  a  huge  frame-work  of  poles,  from  which  hung  car- 
casses of  beef,  mutton,  deer,  elk,  and  salmon,  with  a 
cloud  of  wild  geese,  ducks,  and  other  small  game,  gave 
evidence  that  the  austerities  of  Lent  were  not  to  form 
any  part  of  our  services.    ■ 

Ground  the  sides  of  the  square  were  ranged  the  tents 
and  wigwams  of  the  Indians,  each  tribe  having  a  space 
allotted  to  it.  The  Coast  Indians  were  placed  at  the 
lower  part  of  the  camp ;  first  the  Chenooks,  then  the 
Chehalis,  Queniult  and  Quaitso,  Batsop  or  Satchap,  Up- 
per Chehalis,  and  Cowlitz.  These  different  tribes  had 
sent  representatives  to  the  council,  and  there  were  pres- 


:'<km 


-   ■J'fM 


:tu 


'V* 


388 


THE  NORTHWEST  COAST;    OR, 


ent  about  three  hundred  and  fifity  of  them,  and  the  best 
feelings  prevailed  among  all. 

The  white  persons  present  consisted  of  only  fourteen, 
viz..  Governor  Stevens,  General  George  Gibbs  (who  offi- 
ciated as  secretary  to  the  commission).  Judge  Ford,  with 
his  two  sons,  who  were  assistant  interpreters.  Lieutenant- 
colonel  B.  F.  Shaw,  the  chief  interpreter.  Colonel  Sim- 
mons and  Mr.  Tappan,  Indian  agents,  Dr.  Cooper,  Mr. 
Pilkington,  the  owner  of  the  claim.  Colonel  Cocke,  my- 
self, and  last,  though  by  no  means  the  least,  Cushman, 
pur  commissary,  orderly  sergeant,  provost  marshal,  chief 
story-teller,  factotum,  and  life  of  the  party — "  Long  may 
he  wave."  Nor  must  I  omit  Green  M'Cafferty,  the  cook, 
whose  name  had  become  famous  for  his  exploits  in  an 
expedition  to  Queen  Charlotte's  Island  to  rescue  some 
sailors  from  the  Indians.  He  was  a  good  cook,  and 
kept  us  well  supplied  with  hot  biscuit  and  roasted  pota- 
toes. 

■  The  chief  interpreter,  Colonel  Shaw,  had  not  arrived, 
and  the  governor  concluded  to  defer  the  treaty  till  he 
came,  as  he  was  not  only  the  principal  means  of  com- 
munication with  the  Indians,  but  was  to  bring  some 
chiefs  with  him.  Colonel  Cocke  and  a  party  therefore 
went  down  the  river  to  Armstrong's  Point  to  meet  him, 
while  we  passed  the  day  telling  stories  and  preparing 
for  the  morrow. 

Our  table  was  spread  in  the  open  air,  and  at  break- 
fast and  supper  was  pretty  sure  to  be  covered  with  frost, 
but  the  hot  dishes  soon  cleared  that  off,  and  we  found 
the  clear  fresh  breeze  very  conducive  to  a  good  appetite. 
.  After  supper  we  all  gathered  round  the  fire  to  smoke 
our  pipes,  toast  our  feet,  and  tell  btories.  While  thus 
engaged,  we  heard  a  gun  fired  down  the  river,  and  short- 
ly the  party  arrived,  having  Colonel  Shaw  with  them. 
He  had  brought  a  few  Cowlitz  Indians  and  a  couple  of 


nd  the  best 

ly  fourteen, 
)8  (who  offi- 
Ford,  with 
Lieutenant- 
)lonel  Sim- 
Cooper,  Mr. 
Cocke,  my- 
;,  Cushman, 
irshal,  chief 
"  Long  may 
y,  the  cook, 
ploits  in  an 
rescue  some 
d  cook,  and 
oasted  pota- 

not  arrived, 
reaty  till  he 
ans  of  com- 
bring  some 
fty  therefore 
0  meet  him, 
id  preparing 

id  at  break- 
id  with  frost, 
id  we  found 
5od  appetite, 
ire  to  smoke 

While  thus 
ir,  and  short- 
•  with  them. 

a  couple  of 


if. 


\.n ' 


THREE  TEARS  AT  SROAL-WATER  BAT. 


841 


Chenookfl ;  but,  as  he  was  very  tired,  he  had  not  mnch 
to  say  that  evening,  so  we  shortly  went  to  bed,  the  doc- 
tor, Mr.  Tappan,  and  myself  occupying  one  tent.  > 

The  next  morning  the  council  was  commenced.  The 
Indians  were  all  drawn  up  in  ar  large  circle  in  front  of 
the  governor's  tent  and  around  a  table  on  which  were 
placed  the  articles  of  treaty  and  other  papers.  The  gov- 
ernor, General  Gibbs,  and  Colonel  Shaw  sat  at  ti  n  able, 
and  the  rest  of  the  whites  were  honored  with  camp-stools, 
to  sit  around  as  a  sort  of  guard,  or  as  a  small  cloud  of 
witnesses. 

Although  we  had  no  regimentals  on,  we  were  dressed 
pretty  uniform.  His  excellency  the  governor  was  dress- 
ed in  a  red  flannel  shirt,  dark  frock-coat  and  pa  ii;s,  and 
these  last  tucked  in  his  boots  California  fashion  ,  u  black 
felt  hat,  with,  I  think,  a  pipe  stuck  through  the  banc, 
and  a  paper  of  fine-cut  tobacco  in  his  ( oat  pocket 

The  pipe  being  from  time  ii  memonal  an  emblem  of 
peace  among  savages,  we  all  had  ours,  not,  however,  in 
our  hat-bands ;  but,  as  we  were  not  expected  to  speak 
on  the  occasion,  we  preferred  them  in  our  mouths.  We 
also  were  dressed,  like  the  governor,  not  in  ball-room  or 
dress-parade  uniform,  but  in  good,  warm,  serviceable 
clothes. 

After  Colonel  Mike  Simmons,  the  agent,  and,  as  he 
has  been  termed,  the  Danie)  Boone  of  the  Territory,  had 
marshaled  the  savages  into  »'~.s\er,  an  Indian  interpreter 
was  selected  from  each  tribe  to  interpret  the  Jargon  of 
Shaw  into  such  lar.guajc;*^  as  their  tribes  could  under- 
stand. The  governor  then  made  a  speech,  which  was 
translated  by  Colontl  Shaw  into  Jargon,  and  spoken  to 
the  Indians,  in  the  same  manner  the  good  old  elders  of 
ancient  times  were  accustomed  to  deacon  out  the  hymns 
to  the  congregation.  First  the  governor  spoke  a  few 
words,  then  the  colonel  interpreted,  then  the  Indians ;  so 


V  ■- 


li 


M2 


THE  NORTHWEST  coast;  OB, 


ri:i 


I  ill  : 


that  this  threefold  repetition  made  it  rather  a  lengthy 
operation.  After  this  speech  the  Indians  were  dismiss- 
ed till  the  following  day,  when  the  treaty  was  to  be  read. 
We  were  then  requested  by  the  governor  to  explain  to 
those  Indians  we  were  acquainted  with  what  he  had  said, 
and  they  seemed  very  well  satisfied.  The  governor  had 
purchased  of  Mr.  Pilkington  a  large  pile  of  potatoes, 
about  a  hundred  bushels,  and  he  told  the  Indians  to  help 
themselves.  They  made  the  heap  grow  small  in  a  short 
time,  each  one  taking  what  he  required  for  food ;  but, 
lest  any  one  should  get  an  undue  share,  Commissaiy 
Oushman  and  Colonel  Simmons  were  detailed  to  stand 
guard  on  the  potato  pile,  which  they  did  with  the  utmost 
good  feeling,  keeping  the  savages  in  a  roar  of  laught^ 
by  "their  humorous  ways.  *  '  '"*  '■•^-^■■''^  .,  .^r,,  ,  ^. 

,F  At  night  we  again  gathered  round  the  fire,  and  the 
governor  requested  that  we  should  enliven  the  time  by 
telling  anecdotes,  himself  setting  the  example.  Gov- 
ernor Stevens  has  a  rich  fund  of  interesting  and  amus- 
ing incidents  that  he  has  picked  up  in  his  camp  life,  and 
a  very  happy  way  of  relating  them.  We  all  were  called 
upon  in  turn,  and  when  it  came  mine,  I  related  tales 
that  I  supposed  none  of  the  party  ever  had  heard ;  and 
as  I  was  particular  about  place  and  date,  some  were  in- 
clined to  think  I  had  actu^dly  made  them  up  as  I  went 
along ;  but  it  appeared  that  the  governor  knew  some  of 
the  parties  I  was  speaking  of,  and,  to  my  great  aston- 
ishment, told  the  doubters  that  he  would  vouch  for  the 
truth  of  whatever  I  had  related.  That  served  very  well 
for  me;  for,  no  matter  how  improbable  a  joke  I  afterward 
told,  the  remark  was,  "  That  must  be  true,  for  the  gov- 
ernor will  vouch  for  it."  i?  n.  ..•^irn.mi.  vi 
r.r- There  were  some  tales  told  of  a  wild  and  romantic  na- 
ture at  that  camp,  and  Jndge  Ford  and  Colonel  Mike 
did  their  part.    Old  frontiersmen  and  early  settlers,  they 


THREE  YEARS  AT  SHOAL-WATER  BAT. 


343 


had  many  a  legend  to  relate  of  toil,  privation,  fun,  and 
frolic ;  but  the  palm  was  conceded  to  Cushman,  who  cer- 
tainly could  vie  with  Baron  Munchausen  or  Sinbad  the 
Sailor  in  his  wonderfil  romances.  His  imitative  pow- 
ers were  great,  and  he  would  take  off  some  speaker  at  a 
political  gathering  or  a  camp-meeting  in  so  ludicrous  a 
style,  that  even  the  governor  could  not  preserve  his  grav- 
ity, but  would  be  obliged  to  join  the  rest  in  a  general 
laughing  chorus.  Whenever  Cushman  began  one  of  hid 
harangues,  he  was  sure  to  draw  up  a  crowd  of  Indians, 
who  seemed  to  enjoy  the  fun  as  much  as  we,  although 
they  could  not  understand  a  word  he  said.  He  usually 
wound  up  by  stirring  up  the  fire  ;  and  this,  blazing  up 
brightly  and  throwing  off  a  shower  of  sparks,  would  light 
the  old  forest,  making  the  night  look  blacker  in  the  dis- 
tance, and  showing  out  in  full  relief  the  dusky,  grinning 
faces  of  the  Indians,  with  their  blankets  drawn  around 
them,  standing  up  just  outside  the  circle  where  we  were 
sitting.  Cushman  was  a  most  capital  man  for  a  camp 
expedition,  always  ready,  always  prompt  and  good-na- 
tured. He  said  he  came  from  Maine ;  whether  he  did 
or  not,  he  was  certainly  the  main  man  among  us. 

General  Gibbs,  Mr.  Tappan,  and  Dr.  Cooper  also  fur- 
nished their  share  in  the  entertainment,  and  a  report  of 
the  anecdotes  told  in  that  camp  would  make  as  good  a 
book  as  Joe  Miller's. 

'''■'  The  second  morning  after  our  arrival  the  terms  of  the 
treaty  were  made  known.  This  was  read  line  by  line 
by  General  Gibbs,  and  then  interpreted  by  Colonel  Shaw 
to  the  Indians.   ■  ,  .        ..  i..;jt> 

The  features  and  provisions  of  the  treaty  were  these : 
The  Indians  were  to  cede  all  the  tenritory,  commencing 
on  the  Pacific  coast,  at  the  divide  of  the  Quaitso  and 
Hooch  Rivers,  thence  east  between  the  same,  along  the 
line  of  the  Quillahyute  tribe,  to  the  summit  of  the  coast 


■^11 


'A  I 


344 


THE  NORTHWEST  COAST ;    OR, 


C!'        ;       li 


range ;  thence  south,  along  the  Ime  of  the  Ohemakum 
and  Skokomish  tribes,  to  the  forks  of  the  Satsop  River ; 
thence  southeasterly,  along  the  lands  ceded  by  the  Nis- 
qually  Indians,  to  the  summit  of  the  Black  Hills,  and 
across  the  same  to  the  banks  of  the  Skookumchuck 
Creek ;  thence  up  said  creek  to  the  summit  of  the  Cas- 
cade range;  south,  along  the  range,  to  the  divide  be- 
tween the  waters  of  the  Cowlitz  and  Cathlapoodl  Riv- 
ers ;  thence  southwestwardly  to  the  land  of  the  Upper 
Chenooks,  to  the  Columbia  River,  and  down  that  river 
to  the  sea.  The  Indians  were  to  be  placed  on  a  reser- 
vation between  Gray's  Harbor  and  Cape  Flattery,  and 
were  to  be  paid  for  this  tract  of  land  forty  thousand  dol- 
lars in  different  installments.  Four  thousand  dollars  i^ 
addition  was  also  to  be  paid  them,  to  enable  them  to 
clear  and  fence  in  land  and  cultivate.  No  spirituous 
liquors  were  to  be  allowed  on  the  reservation ;  and  any 
Indian  who  should  be  guilty  of  drinking  liquor  would 
have  his  or  her  annuity  withheld. 

Schools,  carpenters*  and  blacksmiths*  shops  were  to 
be  furnished  by  the  United  States ;  also  a  saw-mill,  ag- 
ricultural implements,  teachers,  and  a.  doctor.  All  their 
slaves  were  to  be  free,  and  none  afterward  to  be  bought 
or  sold.  The  Indians,  however,  were  not  to  be  restrict- 
ed to  the  reservation,  but  were  to  be  allowed  to  procure 
their  food  as  they  had  always  done,  and  were  at  liberty 
at  any  time  to  leave  the  reservation  to  trade  with  or 
work  for  the  whites.  .    .  .^j   ,-^>.> 

After  this  had  all  been  interpreted  to  them,  they  were 
dismissed  till  the  next  day,  in  order  that  they  might  talk 
the  matter  over  together,  and  have  any  part  explained  to 
them  which  they  did  not  understand.  The  following 
morning  the  treaty  was  again  read  to  them  after  a  speech 
from  the  governor,  but,  although  they  seemed  satisfied, 
they  did  not  perfectly  comprehend.     The  difficulty  was 


THBEE  YEARS  AT  SHOAL-WATER  BAY. 


345 


in  having  so  many  different  tribes  to  talk  to  at  the  same 
time,  and  being  obliged  to  use  the  Jargon,  which  at  best 
is  but  a  poor  medium  of  conveying  intelligence.  The 
governor  requested  any  one  of  them  that  wished  to  reply 
to  him.  Several  of  the  chiefs  spoke,  some  in  Jargon 
and  some  in  their  own  tribal  language,  which  would  be 
interpreted  into  Jargon  by  one  of  their  people  who  was 
conversant  with  it ;  so  that,  what  with  this  diversity  of 
tongues,  it  was  difficult  to  have  the  subject  properly  un- 
derstood by  all.  But  their  speeches  finally  resulted  in 
one  and  the  same  thing,  which  was  that  they  felt  proud 
to  have  the  governor  talk  with  them ;  they  liked  his 
proposition  to  buy  their  land,  but  they  did  not  want  to 
go  on  to  the  reservation.  The  speech  of  Narkarty,  one 
of  the  Chenook  chiefs,  will  convey  the  idea  they  all  had. 
**  "W  hen  you  first  began  to  speak,"  said  he  to  the  gov- 
ernor, "  we  did  not  understand  you ;  it  was  all  dark  to 
us  as  the  night;  but  now  our  hearts  are  enlightened, 
and  what  you  say  is  clear  to  us  as  the  sun. 

"  We  are  proud  that  our  great  father  in  Washington 
thinks  of  us.  We  are  poor,  and  can  see  how  much  bet- 
ter off  the  white  men  are  than  we  are.  We  are  willing 
to  sell  our  land,  but  we  do  not  want  to  go  away  from  our 
homes. 

"  Our  fathers,  and  mothers,  and  ancestors  are  buried 
there,  and  by  them  we  wish  to  bury  our  dead  and  be 
buried  ourselves.  We  wish,  therefore,  each  to  have  a 
place  on  our  own  land  where  we  can  live,  and  you  may 
have  the  rest ;  but  we  can't  go  to  the  north  among  the 
other  tribes.  We  are  not  friends,  and  if  we  went  to- 
gether we  should  fight,  and  soon  we  would  all  be  killed." 

This  same  idea  was  expressed  by  all,  and  repeated  ev- 
ery day.  The  Indians  from  the  interior  did  not  want  to 
go  on  a  reservation  with  the  Coast  or  Canoe  Indians. 

The  governor  certainly  erred  in  judgment  in  attempt-^ 

P2 


•'  vv 


i 

ii 


346  •.       THE  NORTHWEST  COAST;   OB,     -,: 

ing  to  place  these  five  different  tribes  on  the  same  res- 
ervation; but  his  motive  was,  that  as  they  were  so 
few,  being  mere  remnants  of  once  powerful  bands,  it 
would  be  better  to  have  them  concentrated  at  one  point. 
Thev,  however,  did  not  think  so;  their  ancient  prejudices 
were  as  strong  as  ever,  and  they  well  knew  that  they 
ncTer  ^ould  agree  to  live  together.  They  were  willing 
to  concentrate  at  a  given  place  on  their  own  lands,  and 
it  is  a  pity  the  governor  did  not  see  the  benefit  that 
would  arise  to  them  by  so  doing.  A  hundred  Indians, 
all  that  remained  of  the  Chenook  tribe,  if  located  at  any 
one  point,  would  be  in  nobody's  way,  and  certainly  there 
is  plenty  of  room  in  their  possessions.  So  of  each  of  the 
other  tribes.  »  ; 

.i.  The  whole  together  only  numbered  843  all  told,  ak 
may  be  seen  by  the  following  census,  which  was  taken  on 
the  ground:         .  ^       .    ,    .  .     ->     ,   - ,  : 

t-'>.!- :      Lower  Chehalis 217       .,   u."i 

Upper      do.      216 

Queniults 158 

^'•"  -       Chenooks 112 

-uivH.  ,     CowKtz 140      o,  , 

•     '  843 

But,  though  few  in  numbers,  there  were  men  among  them 
possessed  of  shrewdness,  sense,  and  great  influence. 
They  felt  that,  although  they  were  few,. they  were  as 
fully  entitled  to  a  separate  treaty  as  the  more  powerful 
tribes  in  the  interior.  We  all  reasoned  with  them  to 
show  the  kind  intentions  of  the  governor,  and  how  much 
better  off  they  would  be  if  they  could  content  themselves 
to  live  in  one  community ;  and  our  appeals  were  not  al- 
together in  vam ;  several  of  the  tribes  consented,  and 
were  ready  to  sign  the  treaty ;  and  of  these  the  Queni- 
ults were  the  most  prompt,  evidently,  however,  from  the 
fact  that  the  proposed  reservation  included  their  land, 
and  they  would,  consequently,  remain  at  home.     ^^^^ 


same  res- 


thre;e  ybars  at  shoal-water  bat. 


347 


t  I  think  the  governor  would  have  eventually  succeeded 
in  inducing  them  all  to  sign  had  it  not  been  for  the  son 
of  Carcowan,  the  old  Chehalis  chief.  This  young  sav- 
age, whose  name  is  Tleyuk,  and  who  was  the  recognized 
ehief  of  his  tribe,  had  obtained  great  inHuence  among  all 
the  Coast  Indians.  He  was  very  wiUing  at  first  to  sign 
the  treaty,  provided  the  governor  would  select  his  land 
for  the  reservation,  and  make  him  grand  Tyee,  or  chief, 
over  the  whole  five  tribes  ;  but  when  he  found  he  could 
not  effect  his  purpose,  he  changed  his  behavior,  and  we 
soon  found  his  bad  influence  among  the  other  Indians, 
and  the  meeting  broke  up  that  day  with  marked  symp- 
toms  of  dissatisfaction.  This  ill  feeling  was  increased 
by  old  Carcowan,  who  smuggled  some  whisky  into  the 
camp,  and  made  his  appearance  before  the  governor  quite 
intoxicated.  He  was  handed  over  to  Provost-marshal 
Cushman,  with  orders  to  keep  him  quiet  till  he  got  sober. 
The  governor  was  very  much  incensed  at  this  breach  of 
his  orders,  for  he  had  expressly  forbidden  either  whites 
or  Indians  bringing  one  drop  of  liquor  into  the  camp.  A 
V  The  following  day  Tleyuk  stated  that  he  had  no  faith 
in  any  thing  the  governor  said,  for  he  had  been  told  that 
it  was  the  intention  of  the  United  States  government  to 
put  them  all  on  board  steamers,  and  send  them  away 
out  of  the  country,  and  that  the  Americans  were  not 
their  friends.  He  gave  the  names  of  several  white  per- 
sons who  had  been  industrious  in  circulating  these  re* 
ports  to  thwart  the  governor  in  his  plans,  and  most  all 
of  thijm  had  been  in  the  employ  of  the  Hudson  Bay  Com- 
pany. He  was  assured  that  there  was  no  truth  in  the 
report,  and  pretended  to  be  satisfied,  but,  in  reality,  was 
doing  all  in  ma  power  to  break  up  the  meeting.  That 
evenliig  the  governor  called  the  chiefs  into  his  tent,  but 
to  no  purpose,  for  Tleyuk  made  some  insolent  remarks, 
and  peremptorily  refused  to  sign  the  treaty,  and,  with 


i"'.'; 


^^>  a 


fii^A 


mi  - 


'I 


■  i. 


"M  . 


F!!    :■ 


1»^i 


w 


348 


THE  NORTHWEST  COAST;   OB, 


Bis  people,  refused  to  have  any  thing  to  do  with  it.    That 
night,  in  his  camp,  they  behaved  in  a  very  disorderly 
maimer,  iiring  off  guns,  shouting,  &i^^  making  a  great  up- 
roar. ?K. 
We  did  not  care  a  pin  for  tli  jL'  braggado«:  /o,  but  the 
governor  did;  and  tlia  next  n>o.rri'»jg;   vh<'n  t'ie  camp 
was  called,  he  gai'e  Tleyuk  a  severe  reprimand,  and  tak- 
ing from  him  Mb  paper  which  had  been  given  to  show 
that  the  governn  ant  recognized  him  as  chief,  he  tore  it 
to  pieces  before  the  asaemWage.     Tleyul:  feb.  this  dis- 
grace verj;  keenly,  but  said  nothing.     Tlio  paper  was  to 
him  of  great  importance,  xbr  they  all  j  «  k  on  a  printed  or 
written  document  as  posBCBsiiJig  some  wonderful  charm. 
The  governor  then  informed  them  that,  as  all  would  nqt 
Bign  the  treaty,  it  was  of  no  effect,  and  the  camp  was 
then  broke  up.                       •  ' 
.  Throughout  the  whole  of  the  conference  Governor  Ste- 
vens evinced  a  degree  of  forbearance,  and  a  desire  to  do 
every  thing  he  could  for  the  benefit  of  the  Indians. 
Nothing  was  done  in  a  hurry.     We  remained  in  the 
camp  a  week,  and  ample  time  was  given  them  each  day 
to  perfectly  understand  the  views  of  the  governor.     The 
utmost  good  feeling  prevailed,  and  every  day  they  were 
induced  to  some  games  of  sport  to  keep  them  good- 
humored.     Some  would  have  races  on  the  river  in  their 
canoes,  others  danced,  and   others   gambled;  all  was 
friendly  till  the  last  day,  when  Tleyuk's  bad  conduct 
spoiled  the  whole. 

But,  although  the  alleged  reason  of  their  refusing  to 
sign  the  treaty  was  that  they  did  not  want  to  leave  their 
homes  and  live  on  one  reservation,  yet  there  were  other 
causes  which  operated  badly.  Our  whole  system  of 
treaty -making  is  wrong  with  these  frontier  Indians. 
They  can  not  be  made  to  understand  why  the  agents 
sent  to  them  to  make  treaties  are  not  empowered  to  close 


THREE  TE/iRS  AT  SHOAIr-WATEE  BAY. 


349 


the  bargain  at  once,  instead  of  referring  the  matter  back 
to  Washington,  and  waiting  the  tardy  action  of  govern- 
ment. Many  of  them  had  been  at  the  treaty-making 
a  few  years  before  at  the  mouth  of  the  Columbia,  where 
Pn  Dart  attempted  to  make  a  purchase  of  their  lands ; 
but  he  was  so  totally  unfitted  for  the  duties  of  the  office 
that  his  treaty  was  instantly  repudiated  at  Washington, 
and  hini^elf  removed.  But  the  Indians  had  acted  in 
good  faith.  They  told  me  that  they  did  not  offer  their 
lands  to  Dr.  Dart,  but  he  told  them  he  would  give  them 
a  certain  price,  which  they  agreed  to,  and  they  could  not 
understand  why  they  did  not  get  what  they  were  told 
they  should  receive.  Consequently,  they  regarded  Dr. 
Dart  and  his  treaties  as  humbugs,  and  placed  no  more 
credit  on  what  Governor  Stevens  told  them  than  they 
had  on  Dr.  Dart,  when  they  found  that  the  governor  was 
also  obliged  to  refer  his  treaties  back  to  Washington, 
and  that  it  might  be  possibly  two  years  before  they 
would  be  finally  placed  on  the  .'eservation. 

They  contrasted  this  dilatory  policy  of  the  American 
government  with  the  prompt  and  decided  course  of  the 
Hudson  Bay  Company,  and,  as  a  natural  conclusion,  were 
led  to  look  upon  the  governors  and  factors  of  the  Com- 
pany as  of  vastly  more  importance  than  either  the  gov- 
ernor of  the  Territory  or  their  Great  Father  at  Wash- 
ington, who  is  regarded  by  them  as  a  sort  of  a  myth. 
They  knew,  in  all  their  dealings  with  the  Hudson  Bay 
Company  officers,  that  whatever  was  agreed  upon  was 
promptly  executed  in  good  faith,  whether  it  was  the  pur- 
chase of  a  pack  of  beaver-skins,  or  a  tract  of  country,  or 
a  treaty  of  peace  and  friendship.  And  it  is  this  fact, 
more  than  any  thing  else,  that  the  Hudson  Bay  Com- 
pany have  had  the  power  to  make  and  execute  treaties, 
without  having  to  refer  the  matter  to  the  home  govern- 
ment of  England,  or  even  the  provincial  government  of 


1"| 


if'lp^    j 


.--.4( 


"•■"•m 


v\ 


.1 

t 


I;: 


w^ 


350 


THK  NOKTHWEST  COAST;  OR,  .lr!l' 


I 


t.     :|i 


!     T: 


Canada,  that  has  enabled  them  to  live  for  so  many  years 
among  these  Indians  in  peace  and  harmony,  and  to  ac- 
quire so  great  an  influence  over  them.    -1  •>  '^r;  :.     .IJf.'-T-: 
This  wise  policy  should  be  imitated  by  our  own  gov- 
ernment so  far  as  to  empower  the  governors  and  Indian 
agents  to  make  treaties  with  Indians  that  shall  take  ef- 
fect at  the  time  of  the  agreement^  and  this  can  easily 
be  done.     Let  Congress  ascertain  what  the  Territory  is 
worth,  and  then  appropriate  a  sum  of  money  to  be  ex- 
pended in  its  purchase,  and  allow  the  agents  to  have  the 
same  judgment  in  the  expenditure  as  is  now  done  to 
commissioners,  either  for  purchasing  a  site  for  a  light- 
house, custom-house,  or  post-office,  or  for  constructing  a 
military  road.    It  is  folly  to  think  of  treating  with  tho^e 
wild  Indians  of  the  Northwest  with  the  same  formality 
we  are  wont  to  adopt  toward  a  foreign  nation.     They 
know  nothing  of  law  or  law  terms :  all  they  want  is  to 
have  matters  as  simple  as  possible.     If  they  agree  to 
take  a  stated  sum  for  their  lands,  they  consider  the  trade 
the  same  as  to  sell  a  horse,  or  canoe,  or  peltry ;  it  is  to 
them  nothing  more  or  less  than  a  trade,  and  they  want 
their  money,  or  blankets,  or  whatever  equivalent  that 
may  be  agreed  upon  paid,  and  the  trade  closed.     This 
referring  back  treaties  for  alteration  is  particularly  dis- 
gusting to  them,  for  it  never  has  been  known  that  the 
Home  Department  ever  have  proposed  to  pay  them  any 
more  than  the  agent  first  agreed  to ;  and  I  have  no  hes- 
itation in  asserting  that,  had  Congress  agreed  upon  a 
certain  sum  to  have  been  paid  to  extinguish  the  Indian 
titles  in  Washington  Territory,  and  had  empowered  Gov- 
ernor Stevens,  when  he  first  went  to  the  Territory,  to 
have  closed  all  the  treaties  as  soon,  as  he  should  have 
made  them,  he  would  not  only  have  effected  a  final 
settlement  with  the  whole  body  of  Indians  in  tnat  sec- 
tion of  our  country  amicably,  but  have  made  a  saving 


THREE  YEABS  AT  BHOAL-WATER  BAY. 


351 


of  millions  to  the  Treasury,  which  will  have  been  ex- 
pended before  the  present  war  is  brought  to  a  close.  I 
think  Governor  Stevens's  course  admirably  adapted  to 
conciliate  the  Indians,  and,  although  I  have  asserted  that 
he  erred  in  judgment  in  wishing  to  place  the  five  tribes 
on  one  reservation,  yet  his  whole  thought  and  object  was 
for  their  good,  and  there  can  be  no  doubt  that,  had  they 
acceded  to  his  views,  they  would  have  been  benefited. 
And  I  firmly  believe,  from  what  I  saw  of  Governor 
Stevens  during  the  week  we  remained  at  that  camp,  and 
from  his  general  feeling  toward  the  Indians,  that,  had  he 
been  allowed  to  have  carried  out  his  plans  unmolested 
or  thwarted  by  any  one,  there  would  not  have  been  a 
hostile  blow  struck  in  the  Territory.  It  is  to  be  regret- 
ted that  men  of  intelligence  and  influence  should  have 
been  found  in  the  Territory  willing,  rather  than  side  with 
the  governor  and  assist  him,  to  countenance  certain  *4ewd 
fellows  of  the  baser  sort"  to  defame,  detract,  and  throw 
every  obstacle  in  his  way. 

;,;  When  it  was  determined  to  break  up  the  camp,  we 
prepared  ourselves  for  the  journey  home.  As  Dr.  Cooper 
concluded  to  go  up  the  river,  Mr.  Tappan  and  myself 
were  the  only  white  persons  of  tlie  party  who  intended 
returning  to  Shoal-water  Bay.     The  governor  directed 

"Mx.  T to  pay  Caslah'^han  for  bringing  us  up,  and  to 

make  a  new  bargain  with  him  for  our  return.  The  one- 
eyed  savage,  who  had  been  making  his  calculations  on 
receiving  sundry  blankets  and  sacks  of  flour,  found  him- 
self more  than  paid  by  two  calico  shirts  that  Mr.  Tappan 
gave  him ;  but,  as  he  had  agreed  to  take  what  the  gov- 
ernor thought  proper,  he  could  not  complain.  .i  n/jj 
(J  The  weather,  which  had  been  rainy  for  the  last  two 
days,  now  gave  indications,  by  the  quick-flying  scud, 
and  sighing,  moaning  sound  of  wind  in  the  tops  of  the 
lofty  firs,  that  a  southeast  storm  was  fast  approaching. 


'*::!i| 


VI 


352 


THE  NORTHWEST  COAST;   OB, 


but  there  was  no  help  for  us  except  to  start  for  home ; 
so,  taking  with  us  tiie  Chenook  and  Shoal-water  Bay- 
Indians,  we  filled  Caslah^han's  big  canoe,  and  proceeded 
on  our  course  down  the  river.  •*., 

The  Chehahs  River  is  a  fine  stream,  and  navigable  for 
vessels  of  three  or  four  hundred  tons  as  far  as  where  wo 
had  camped,  which  wao  called  ten  miles.  The  water 
appears  to  be  quite  deep,  and  at  a  bend  of  the  river  near 
the  camp  a  perpendicular  hill  rises  very  abruptly  from 
the  stream,  and  at  its  base  the  water,  as  I  was  informed 
by  the  Indians,  is  upward  of  Hity  feet  deep.  The  river 
widens  as  it  approaches  Gray's  Harbor,  with  frequent 
shoals,  and  is  much  obstructed  by  drift-logs,  which,  I  be- 
lieve, could  very  easily  be  cleared  away,  rendering  the 
navigation  quite  easy  and  safe.  Some  ten  or  fifteen 
miles  above  our  camp  are  the  excellent  saw-milla  of  Mr. 
Armstrong,  where  timber  of  all  kinds  is  sawed  in  the 
best  manner.  The  cedar  and  ash  plank,  and  boat-stuff 
I  have  seen  from  Armstrong's,  was  equal  to  any  I  ever 
met  with,  while  the  fir  and  spruce  lumber  can  not  be 
surpassed  by  any  mill  in  the  Union.  Some  of  our  East- 
ern mill  men  would  be  doubtful  about  attempting  to  cut 
a  log  of  spruce  measuring  six  feet  through  the  centre, 
but  Mr.  Armstrong  informed  me  that  he  had  saws  capa- 
ble of  performing  such  work,  although,  he  confessed,  he 
preferred  operating  on  three  and  four  feet  logs,  as  he 
could  handle  them  easier. 

The  country  along  the  river  toward  its  mouth  is  cov- 
ered with  a  dense  forest  of  spruce  and  fir,  with  here  and 
there  little  prairie  patches  of  fertile  and  easily-cultivated 
land.  We  passed  two  or  three  houses  of  the  white  set- 
tlers, but  they  were  absent  from  home,  and  we  hurried 
along,  as  we  were  anxious  to  get  across  the  Bay  before 
dark,  so  as  to  remain  at  Carcowan's  lodge  over  night,  for 
there  was  no  other  pi  ce  of  shelter  till  we  reached  Shoal- 


THREF      RARfl  AT  SHOAL-WATER  BAT. 


353 


m 


3  river  near 


water  Bay ;  but  when  we  reached  the  mouth  of  the  river 
we  felt  the  full  force  of  the  southeast  wind,  which  was 
blowing  so  strong  as  to  render  it  extremely  hazardous 
to  attempt  crossing  the  Bay.  Some  of  the  Indians  who 
came  down  at  the  Bam»time  we  did  went  to  a  little  isl- 
and near  the  mouth  of  the  river,  on  the  north  side,  where 
they  camped ;  but  it  being  out  of  the  way,  we  crept  along 
the  shore  toward  the  south,  hoping  to  iind  some  good 
place  of  shelter  for  the  night.  But  we  were  not  very 
fortunate,  for  we  were  obliged  at  last  to  go  ashore  on  a 
low,  sandy  beach,  whore  there  were  a  few  stunted  pines 
and  low  bushes.  We  built  a  fire  with  difficulty,  and, 
having  found  some  fresh  water,  managed  to  get  some- 
thing to  eat  for  supper. 

Mr.  Tappan  had  fortunately  brought  from  the  camp 
two  or  three  cans  of  preserved  meat,  and  the  Indians  had 
with  them  some  potatoes  and  a  few  dried  salmon.  We 
made  a  sort  of  shelter  with  the  canoe  sail,  and  tried  to 
get  some  sleep ;  but  we  had  scarcely  lain  down  when  a 
violent  squall  of  wind  and  rain  came  up,  which  demolish- 
ed our  tent,  and  it  was  with  the  greatest  difficulty  we 
could  keep  our  blankets  around  us ;  so  we  were  obliged 
to  remain  all  night  exposed  to  the  fury  of  the  elements, 
wet,  cold,  and  miserable. 

As  soon  as  the  day  began  to  dawn  the  wind  abated, 
and,  although  it  was  still  raining,  we  at  once  bundled 
into  the  canoe  and  paddled  across  the  Bay,  and  landed 
at  a  marsh,  through  which  we  waded,  lud  at  last,  having 
reached  a  piece  of  upland,  stopped  to  |:et  some  breakfast. 
We  had  then  to  walk  eighteen  miles  to  reach  Shoal-wa- 
ter Bay,  and,  the  tide  being  up,  could  not  take  the  beach, 
but  had  to  keep  on  the  plains,  with  the  fuU  blast  of  the 
wind  and  rain,  which  had  now  again  commenced  with 
fury,  directly  in  our  faces.  We  here  met  some  Indians 
who  had  camped  the  previous  night  on  the  island  at  the 


«l  ''5 


■Vu.tl 


.    M 


r  •<« 


"!^ 


M 


854 


THE  NORTHWEST  CO;^'T;   OK,       "r 


k 


mouth  of  the  Chchalis  River,  and  leamerl  from  them  that 
a  doctor  of  the  Chehalis  tribe  had  shot  a  young  chief  of 
the  Quaitso  Indians  out  of  mere  bravado,  and  because 
the  Quaitso  and  Queniults  had  been  in  favor  '>f  the  trea- 
ty. This  piece  of  intelligence  did  not  tend  to  exhilarate 
the  feelings  of  the  Indians  in  our  party,  so  we  all  moved 
on,  very  ill  at  ease,  through  the  wet  grass  and  bushes.  At 
noon  we  reached  the  little  brook  where  we  had  stopped 
when  we  went  up,  and  near  it  found  a  rude  hovel,  which 
had  been  put  up  by  some  Indians  while  they  were  boil- 
ing out  tiie  blubber  of  a  whale  which  had  been  thrown 
ashore  by  the  waves.  Into  this  miserable  old  shanty  we 
crept,  and,  having  built  a  fire,  made  a  hearty  dinner  on 
our  preserved  meats.  We  remained  here  much  longer 
than  we  should  have  done,  for,  when  we  reached  the 
creek  where  the  Indians  had  left  their  canoes,  it  was 
nearly  dark.  Here  the  Indians  were  determined  to  re- 
main all  night  and  sleep  under  their  canoes ;  for,  although 
it  was  only  a  couple  of  miles  farther  to  the  lodge,  they 
were  too  tired,  and  preferred  to  remain  till  morning,  and 
then  take  their  canoes  home  with  them.  •  *' .- 

Tappan  and  myself  had  no  idea  of  stopping  at  that 
place,  and  as  we  knew  of  a  path  which  Mr.  Barrows  had 
made  from  the  beach  through  the  woods  to  his  house,  we 
preferred  to  go  on  and  get  into  good  quarters.  But  it 
soon  grew  very  dark,  and,  although  we  could  discern 
the  white  line  of  the  beach,  yet  we  failed  to  discover  the 
path,  and,  consequently,  kept  on  till  we  reached  the  end 
of  the  point,  about  a  mile  out  of  our  course.  The  route 
to  Mr.  Barrows's  house  was  now  across  a  marsh,  and 
through  a  clump  of  pines,  and  we  went  stumbling  along, 
like  the  babes  in  the  wood,  and,  after  falling  into  a  couple 
of  ditches,  at  last  reached  the  pines.  Here  we  shout- 
ed and  hallooed,  but  received  no  answer,  and  concluded 
that  we  had  best  make  a  night  of  it  under  the  trees, 


THREE  YEARS  AT  SHOAL-WATER  BAY. 


855 


\  them  that 
ng  chief  of 
nd  because 
'>f  the  trear 
)  exhilarate 
e  all  moved 
bushes.   At 
lad  stopped 
[lovel,  which 
y  were  boil- 
been  thrown 
d  shanty  we 
;y  dinner  on 
much  longer 
reached  the 
inoes,  it  was 
•mined  to  re- 
for,  although 
lodge,  they 
loming,  and 


when  we  discovered  the  glimmer  of  a  light,  and  soon  aft- 
er reached  the  house,  where  we  were  most  hospitably  re- 
ceived. It  was  quite  evident  why  our  shouting  had  not 
been  heard,  for,  with  the  aid  of  a  violin  and  trombone, 
the  family  were  raising  their  voices  in  melody,  chanting 
some  pious  anthems,  for  it  was  Sunday  night.  It  is 
needless  to  add  how,  in  that  hospitable  house,  we  were 
speedily  made  comfortable,  and  how,  after  we  had  con- 
gratulated each  other  on  our  change  ot  fortune  in  not 
having  to  pass  the  night  in  our  wet  clothes  under  the 
bushes,  we  retired  early  and  were  soon  asleep. 

When  Colonel  Shaw  passed  through  the  Bay  on  his 
way  to  the  camp,  he  had  hired  a  whale-boat  at  Wilson's 
portage,  which  he  had  hauled  up  on  the  beach  near  the 
mouth  of  the  Bay.  It  was  Mr.  Tappan's  intention  to 
have  taken  the  boat  back,  and  carried  with  him  the  In- 
dians bound  for  Chenook;  so,  the  next  morning,  he 
started  out  in  search  for  her,  and,  after  having  been  ab- 
sent nearly  all  day,  returned  with  the  report  that  she  waa 
stove  to  atoms  by  the  waves.  The  gale  now  seemed  to 
increase  in  fury,  and  for  three  days  we  were  obliged  to 
remain,  without  daring  to  venture  across  the  Bay,  till  at 
length  we  managed  to  get  over  in  one  of  the  canoes,  and 
I  reached  home  entirely  satisfied  with  my  experience, 
and  with  no  further  inclination  to  go  out  on  another 
treaty-making  expedition  during  the  rainy  season. 

The  travelers  about  that  section  of  the  country  fre- 
quently had  as  bad  or  worse  times  than  I  had.  Colonel 
Anderson,  the  United  States  marshal,  while  taking  the 
census  of  Washington  Territory  in  1853,  related  to  me 
his  adventures  to  Shoal-water  Bay  from  the  Chehalis 
River.  It  was  during  the  last  of  September  that  he  ar- 
rived at  the  house  of  Judge  Sidney  Ford,  on  the  Che- 
halis River,  near  the  Skookum  Chuck  Creek.  The 
judge,  or,  as  he  was  more  familiarly  called.  Uncle  Sid, 


:4\ 

■H 


356 


THE  NORTHWEST  COAST;    OR, 


m 


:-fe' 


lilliii^ 


kept  a  public  house  on  the  Cowlitz  road,  which"*  was  the 
regular  mail-route  from  Olympia  to  the  Columbia  River. 
Uncle  Sid  is  well  known  throughout  the  whole  Territory 
as  one  of  the  most  hospitable  men  that  ever  received  a 
weary  traveler  to  his  fireside ;  and  many  a  poor,  half- 
starved  emigrant  can  testify  to  the  kind  and  generous 
sympathy  with  which  their  wants  and  sufferings  were 
relieved,  with  the  usual  parting  remark  of  the  good  old 
judge,  '*  Never  mind  ^ny  pay ;  I  know  what  it  is  to  be 
hard  up  on  a  journey.  Good-by  ;  keep  a  bright  look- 
out, and  good  luck  to  you !" 

Judge  Ford's  universal  kind  treatment  of  the  Indians 
won  for  him  their  entire  confidence,  and,  during  the  late 
disturbances,  he  has  been  of  great  service  in  maintaining 
quiet  among  the  turbulent  vagabonds  that  live  in  the  re- 
gion about  him. 

When  Colonel  Anderson  had  reached  Uncle  Sid's 
house,  he  procured  an  Indian  and  a  canoe  to  take  him 
down  the  river  to  Gray's  Harbor,  and  as  neither  himself 
nor  the  judge  knew  much  ;ibout  the  route,  he  concluded 
it  was  best  to  t':-ke  some  provisions,  although  he  was  in- 
formed that  there  were  settlers  near  the  Bay.  However, 
the  judge  insisted  on  giving  him  some  bread  and  a  pair 
of  roast  chickeiis,  and  with  this  the  colonel  left  and  pro- 
ceeded to  the  mouth  of  the  river,  where  he  stopped  at 
the  house  of  a  settler ;  but  he  found  the  family  almost 
entirely  destitute  of  provisions ;  so,  sharing  his  chickens 
among  the  children,  he  started  on,  taking  with  him,  be- 
sides the  Indian,  a  white  aian,  who  wished  to  go  to  Shoal- 
water  Bay  to  try  and  purchase  some  stores.  This  man 
informed  the  colonel  that  it  was  but  a  short  walk  to 
Shoal-water  Bay,  and  that  they  could  easily  get  across 
to  the  settlement,  and  that  there  was  a  house  on  the 
beach,  near  Toke's  Point,  where  they  could  stop  over 
night. 


THREE  YEARS  AT  SHOAL-WATER  BAY. 


357 


sh-was  the 
ibia  River. 
B  Territory 
received  a 
poor,  half- 
i  generous 
srings  were 
le  good  old 
t  it  is  to  he 
)right  look- 

the  Indians 
ring  the  late 
maintaining 
ve  in  the  re- 


It  was  nearly  dark  when  they  reached  the  house,  hut 
it  was  empty ;  however,  they  stopped  there  over  night, 
having  nothing  for  supper  but  the  recollections  of  the 
nice  chickens  they  had  left  with  the  children ;  "  but," 
said  the  colonel,  "  I  felt  that  I  was  much  more  able  to 
go  without  my  supper  than  the  children  were,  60 1  went 
to  sleep."  The  next  morning  they  walked  around  the 
beach  till  they  came  in  sight  of  the  houses  on  the  oppo- 
site shore  of  the  Bay,  and,  building  a  great  fire  to  attract 
the  attention  of  the  settlers,  set  off  in  different  directions 
to  procure  something  to  eat. 

The  colonel  tried  to  find  some  crabs,  but  it  was  too 
late  in  the  season  for  them ;  and,  as  the  Indian  was  a 
stranger,  he  did  not  know  where  to  look  for  clams. 
They  found  a  few  berries,  with  which  they  kept  off  the 
cravings  of  hunger,  and  waited  all  that  day,  not  patient- 
ly, but  anxiously,  for  some  signs  of  recognition  from  the 
other  shore ;  but  no  notice  was  taken  of  the  signals,  and 
they  had  to  pass  another  night  without  any  thing  to  eat 
but  berries. 

The  next  morning  they  began  to  feel  quite  anxious, 
and  started  off  to  find  something  to  appease  their  raven- 
ous appetites.  At  last  the  colonel  saw  a  "  butter-duck" 
in  a  shallow  creek,  and  immediately  gave  chase  to  it. 
These  ducks  are  the  black  surf-duck  {Fuligula  jpei'spi- 
cillata).  They  rise  from  the  water  at  all  times  with 
difficulty,  but  in  the  fall  of  the  year  they  get  so  fat  that 
they  at  times  can  not  fly  at  all,  hence  the  common  name 
of  butter-duck.  They  are  hard  to  shoot,  being  expert 
divers,  nor  are  they  good  for  much  when  killed,  as  their 
flesh  is  coarse  and  fishy.  The  colonel's  hunger  gave 
him  sp^d,  and  knowing  if  he  got  the  duck  ashore  it 
could  not  fly,  he  at  once  rushed  into  the  creek  between 
the  bird  and  deep  water.  Here  a  most  exciting  chase 
commenced,  the  duck  frequently  diving,  and  the  colonel 


Li.;.-, 


958 


THE  NORTHWEST  COAST;    OB, 


^h: 


frequently  getting  ducked  by  stepping  into  some  unseen 
hole ;  but  perseverance  and  hunger  enabled  him  to  over- 
come all  obstacles,  and  he  finally  got  the  duck  ashore 
and  killed  it  with  a  stick.  Puffing  and  blowing,  he  re- 
turned to  the  fire,  whsn  the  Indian  offered  to  pick  the 
feathers  off;  but  that  was  too  slow  a  process  for  a  hun- 
gry man,  and  the  quicker  method  of  singeing  them  in  the 
blaze  was  adopted.  The  colonel  was  so  hungry  that  he 
could  scarcely  wait  to  have  it  cooked ;  but,  hastily  di- 
viding it,  they  devoured  the  half-raw  meat  with  great 
satisfaction.  While  thus  engaged  they  saw  a  boat  ap- 
proaching; but  the  colonel  was  determined  to  eat  his 
butter-duck  rfter  the  race  he  had  for  it,  and  when  the 
boat  reached  the  shore  he  presented  a  very  greasy  ap- 
pearance to  the  party,  who,  it  appeared,  had  come  over 
for  a  few  days'  shooting.  They  said  they  had  seen  the 
iire,  but  supposed  it  was  only  Indians,  and  took  no  no- 
tice of  it. 

They  soon  furnished  the  colonel  and  his  two  men  with 
something  to  eat  and  drink,  and  then  carried  them 
across  the  Bay,  where,  after  taking  the  census,  the  colo- 
nel started  for  the  Columbia ;  but  a  southeast  rain-storm 
coming  on,  he  concluded  to  go  as  far  as  the  Palux  River, 
and  stop  with  Mr.  Brown  till  fair  weather.  Here  he 
met  with  another  adventure,  which  was  a  common  occur- 
rence at.  that  time,  and  I  will  let  the  colonel  relate  his 

own  story.     ,  -  •■■•'.  ■:  -  *  '.-ii':-.   ;:;'.  ;:^i  l  .  Jij  ;  ^:  -O-::-:'.  .-.> 

;  "  After  I  had  passed  three  days  with  the  oyster-boys," 
said  he,  "  where  each  one  tried  to  outdo  the  others  in 
hospitalities,  I  left  with  Steve  Marshall  and  Big  Char- 
ley, who  were  to  take  me  to  the  portage.  As  we  round- 
ed Goose  Point,  the  wind  blew  so  strong  against,us  that 
we  thought  best  to  run  up  the  Palux  to  Brown's  house, 
and  stop  over  night.  Brown  had  recently  put  up  a  little 
eight  by  ten  zinc  house,  and  when  we  reached  there  he 


THREE  YEARS  AT  SHOAL-WATER  BAY. 


359 


le  unseen 
n  to  over- 
ck  ashore 
ng,  he  re- 
)  pick  the 
for  a  hun- 
hem  in  the 
Try  that  he 
hastily  di- 
with  great 
a  hoat  ap- 

to  eat  his 
l  when  the 

greasy  ap- 
[  come  over 
ad  seen  the 
took  no  no- 

70  men  with 
arried  them 
18,  the  colo- 
t  rain-storm 
>alux  Biver, 
.  Here  he 
amon  occur- 
el  relate  his 

jrster-boys," 
le  others  in 
Big  Char- 
we  round- 
linst.us  that 
(wn's  house, 
it  np  a  little 
Ihed  there  he 


had  just  finished  eating  his  supper.     It  was  raining  vi- 
olently, and  all  our  clothes  and  blankets  were  wet. 

"  Brown  and  his  mjii  went  to  work  and  cooked  us  up 
some  supper,  while  we  tried  to  dry  ourselves  a  little.     It 
was  near  nine  o'clock  when  we  had  finished  eating,  and 
while  we  were  preparing  to  go  to  sleep  we  heard  through 
the  din  of  the  storm,  which  was  now  furious,  the  sound 
of  voices,"  and  directly  a  party  of  four  men  came  in,  half 
famished,  and  drenched  through.     Brown  immediately 
went  to  work  and  cooked  them  a  supper,  and  when  we 
were  all  again  ready  to  turn  in  for  the  night  it  was  near- 
ly twelve  o'clock,  for  we  had  been  talking  and  smoking 
with  the  new-  comers.     Well,  we  had  not  lain  down 
when  another  halloo  outside  announced  the  arrival  of 
more  travelers.     Who  con  that  be,  this  time  of  night  ? 
The  door  opened,  and  in  came  old  Captain  Crocker  and 
Captain  Gardiner,  who  had  just  arrived  from  the  Co- 
lumbia, wet  through  and  half  starved.      By  the  time 
they  had  eaten  and  were  ready  for  sleep  it  was  half  past 
two  o'clock,  and  when  we  did  lie  down  it  was  pretty 
close  packing,  and  the  heat  of  the  stove,  with  the  steam 
from  our  wet  clothes,  nearly  suffocated  us.     Sleep  was 
impossible,  for  Captain  Crocker  ■  egan  to  relate  sea-sto- 
ries, which  that  ancient  mariner  was  always  ready  to  do, 
and  kept  us  awake  all  the  rest  of  the  night.     The  howl- 
ing of  the  tempest,  the  mttle  of  the  rain  on  the  zinc 
house,  and  the  captain's  gruff  voice,  reminded  me  of 
Dante's  Inferno.     But  we  survived,  and  llie  next  after- 
noon, the  weather  having  cleared  off,  we  took  the  flood 
tide  and  went  to  the  portage,  and  in  a  couple  of  days 
more,  having  finished  my  census-taking,  I  reached  As- 
toria, where  I  was  glad  to  lie  by  a  little  to  get  rested." 

During  the  time  Colonel  Anderson  held  the  office  of 
United  States  marshal,  he  probably  traveled  through 
Washington  Territory  more  than  any  other  individual. 


1^ 


HI 


360 


THE  NORTilV/EST  COAST;   OR, 


and  the  anecdotes  just  related  are  to  show  how  he,  as 
well  as  the  rest  of  us,  had  some  rough  times  during  the 
early  settlement  of  the  country. 


r' 


CHAPTER  XX. 

The  Whale.— Toke  in  the  Whale's  Belly. --Bhibber  Feasf.— Doctor 
Johnson  and  myself  as  Counsel. — Higher  Law. — Champ' i  Decision. 
— Loss  of  Schooner  Empire. — Captain  Davis. — Captain  Eben  P.  Ba- 
ker.— M'Carty's  Child  among  the  Indians. — ^Her  Rescue. — Feelings 
of  the  Indians  toward  Whites. — Remarks  on  the  Indian  Character. — 
They  can  live  peaceably  with  Whites. — Course  adopted  by  thf;  Hud- 
son Bay  Company  toward  Indians. — Suggestions  about  a  Sysvem  of 
Sub-agencies. — Correct  Views  of  the  Hudson  Bay  Company  respect- 
ing Indians. — The  Conduct  of  the  Company  toward  Americans.— 
They  do  not  wish  Americans  among  them. — History  of  the  Hudson 
Bay  Company  and  their  Proceedings  toward  Americans. — Cause  of 
the  Outbreak  among  the  Indians. — Gold  Mines. — C^eueral  Pabz, . .. — 
General  Wool. — Remarks,  «fec. 

About  a  month  after  my  return  from  the  treaty,  a 
whale  was  washed  ashore  on  the  beach  between  Toke's 
Point  and  Gray's  Harbor,  and  all  the  Indians  about  the 
Bay  went  to  get  their  share.  I  had  a  curiosity  to  see 
their  method  of  proceeding,  and,  accordingly,  went  to  the 
scene  of  operations.  The  whale  was  a  small  one,  of  the 
humpback  species,  and  had  come  ashore  at  the  top  of 
high  water,  and  was  pretty  high  up  on  the  beach.  The 
Indians  were  camped  near  by,  out  of  the  reach  of  the 
tide,  and  were  all  very  busy  on  my  arrival,  securing  the 
blubber,  either  to  carry  home  to  their  lodges,  or  boiling 
it  out  on  the  spot,  provided  they  happened  to  have  blad- 
ders or  barrels  to  put  the  oil  in.  Those  who  were  in- 
tending to  transport  the  blubber  were  hiding  it  by  bury- 
ing it  in  the  sand  till  they  were  ready  to  go  to  their 
homes.  This  capped  the  climax  of  all  dii-ty,  greasy, 
filthy  sights  I  ever  saw  among  Indians.    Toke,  who  was 


low  he,  as 
during  the 


east. — Doctor 
mp'i  Decision, 
in  Ebcn  P.  Ba- 
cue. — feelings 
,n  Character.— 
8(1  by  thfi  Hud- 
ttt  a  Sysvem  of 
mpany  respect- 
l  Americans.— 
of  the  Hudson 
ans. — Cause  of 
aeral  FaUn . .. — 


;he  treaty,  a 
ween  Toke's 
ns  about  the 
iosity  to  see 
,  went  to  the 
1  one,  of  the 
t  the  top  of 
beach.    The 
reach  of  the 
securing  the 
es,  or  boiling 
to  have  blad- 
who  were  in- 
,g  it  by  bury- 
0  go  to  their 
lirty,  greasy, 
oke,  who  was 


■I         I 
Mil    J 


I'M 

•  1  :    1 

i       1 

\  •    n.: 


^;i 


k 


w 


« 


'%  u 


■I- 


* 


THREE  TEABS  AT  SHOAL- WATER  BAT. 


363 


on  the  ground  early,  had  taken  up  a  claim  near  the 
whale's  fore  fin,  and,  having  carved  out  a  space  to  stand 
in,  was  securely  housed,  like  Jonah  of  old,  in  the  whale's 
belly,  his  head  and  arms  projecting  out  between  the 
fish's  ribs,  while  the  remainder  of  the  body  was  hidden  in 
the  whale's  carcass.  There  he  was,  entirely  naked,  be- 
smeared with  blood  and  grease,  and  as  happy  as  possi- 
ble. Other  Indians  were  cutting  and  carving  away  at 
the  blubber,  which  they  would  pack  on  the  backs  of  their 
slaves  and  retainers  in  pieces  of  about  fifty  pounds  each, 
to  be  carried  by  them  to  their  respective  tents. 

Those  who  were  trying  out  the  blubber  cut  it  into 
strips  about  two  inches  wide,  one  and  a  half  inches  thick, 
and  a  foot  long.  These  strips  were  then  thrown  into  a 
kettle  of  boiling  water,  and  as  the  grease  tried  out  it  was 
skimmed  off  with  clam-shells  and  thrown  into  a  tub  to 
cool  and  settle.  It  was  then  carefully  skimmed  off 
again,  and  put  into  the  barrels  or  bladders  for  use.  After 
the  strips  of  blubber  hove  been  boiled,  they  are  hung  up 
in  the  smoke  to  dry,  and  are  then  eaten.  I  have  tried 
this  sort  of  food,  but  must  confess  that,  like  crow-meat, 
"I  didn't  hanker  arter  it."  I  should  as  soon  attempt 
making  a  meal  off  an  old  India-rubber  shoe,  dipped  in 
train  oil,  as  to  attempt  masticating  dried  whale's  blub- 
ber ;  but  the  Indians  like  it,  and  the  whole  party,  chil- 
dren and  all,  were  besmeared  with  grease  from  head  to 
foot,  and  had  a  most  ancient  and  fish-like  smell  about 
thim. 

Carcowan's  people  were  present,  and  Tleyuk  had  a 
deal  to  say  about  the  treaty.  He  was  very  valiant,  and 
assured  me  that  the  Indians  did  not  care  for  the  Bos- 
tons, and  meant  to  have  a  fight  with  them.  I  paid  no 
attention  to  his  conversation,  as  I  considered  it  a  mere 
ebullition  of  his  wrath  at  the  governor  for  taking  away 
his  recognition  as  chief- 


:■€ 


*  ,'3 

m 


\\ 


ii: 


364 


IHE  NORTHWEST  COAST;   OB,     U 


.f  I  did  not  remain  many  hours  about  the  whale;  the 
Bight  and  smell  for  about  fifteen  minutes  satisfied  me  that 
I  had  learned  all  that  was  worth  knowing  about  the  In- 
dian method  of  procuring  wliale  oil.         i.'i..-u   ai,u  ...r; 

Doctor  Johnson  and  myself  had,  about  this  time,  our 
fiercest  legal  conflict  before  'Squire  Champ.  The  case 
was  that  of  *  *  Weldon  versus  Watkins. "  The  doctor  con- 
sidered himself  the  legal  representative  of  Captain  Wel- 
don, who  had  gone  to  San  Francisco,  and  Mr.  Watkins, 
who  was  present,  had  asked  me  to  aid  him  in  sustaining 
his  case  before  the  learned  court.  The  facts  were  these: 
Weldon  and  Watkins  were  connected  in  business  so  far 
as  related  to  a  saw-mill  which  Watkins  had  built  and 
had  in  operation,  but  refused  to  account  for,  or  settle  with 
Weldon.  An  iniunctiun  had  been  prayed  for  in  the 
United  States  Co>n^,  but,  for  some  reason  unknown  to 
me,  had  not  been  granted.  Watkins  continued  to  make 
and  sell  boards,  and  Weldon,  like  Giant  Despair  in  Pil- 
grim's Progress,  bit  his  nails  and  gnashed  his  teeth  when 
he  saw  the  rafts  of  boards  float  by  his  residence  without 
the  power  either  of  getting  his  just  dues  or  of  converting 
the  boards  to  his  own  use.  But  soon  the  fall  came,  and 
with  it  the  "latter  rain."  The  higher  law  prevailed;  for, 
owing  to  an  interposition  of  Providence  and  a  rise  in  the 
creek,  the  mill  w^s  raised  from  its  foundations  and  float- 
ed bodily  down  the  river  till  it  reached  the  Bay,  where 
it  was  seized  upon  by  Fiddler  Smith  and  John  Green, 
two  men  in  Weldon's  employ,  and  by  them  towed  to  the 
beach  at  Weldon's  store,  and  safely  made  fast.  Weldon 
now  had  the  mill,  and  Watkins  had  a  pile  of  lumber. 
So  far,  so  good.  But,  at  length,  Watkins,  desirous  to 
move  from  the  Bay,  swapped  off  his  boards  for  oxen,  and 
it  was  when  the  raft  of  boards  came  down  the  river  that 
Doctor  Johnson  and  myself  were  called  upon  to  lay  the 
claims  of  the  several  parties  before  'Squire  Champ. 


.._nL.-. 


TkitEE  YEAHS  AT  SHOAL-WATEB  BAT. 


365 


Every  thing  had  prospered  until  the  raft  had  nearly 
crossed  the  Bay,  when,  an  adverse  wind  coming  up,  it 
was  drifted  ashore  almost  in  front  of  the  doctor's  house, 
who  immediately  seized  it  in  the  name  of  his  client.   » >  ■ 

I  was  requested  to  appear  for  the  defense,  and  accord- 
ingly met  the  doctor  at  old  Champ's  the  next  day,  when 
Watkins  and  all  interested  were  requested  to  make  their 
plea.  '   '        '  'u 

The  doctor  appeared  with  his  old  volume  of  Iowa 
statutes,  which  he  read  off  with  a  marked  emphasis  and 
good  punctuation ;  but  Watkins,  who  had  just  returned 
from  Olympia,  where  he  had  been  as  our  representative 
to  the  Territorial  Legislature,  had  brought  with  him  the 
Laws  of  the  Territory,  which  we  considered  of  more  im- 
portance than  the  Iowa  statutes. 

Champ  heard  both  sides,  and,  after  taking  an  hour  to 
consult  with  himself,  announced  his  decision  that  he  had 
nothing  to  do  with  the  case ;  so  Watkins  won  the  boards 
and  paid  me.  But  the  doctor  was  not  so  well  off;  for 
he  not  only  lost  his  case,  but  Weldon,  on  his  return,  re- 
fused to  recognize  him  as  counsel,  and  he  got  no  pay  for 
his  trouble. 

That  made  no  difference,  however,  in  our  friendship, 
for  we  weie  always  on  the  best  of  terms ;  and  that  fall 
we  chose  the  doctor  for  our  representative  to  the  Terri- 
torial Legislature,  a  post  which  he  filled  to  the  satisfac- 
tion of  all. 

On  the  third  of  August,  as  the  schooner  Empire  was 
going  out  of  the  harbor,  on  her  way  to  San  Francisco, 
with  a  load  of  oysters,  she  struck  on  the  spit  at  the  north 
side  of  the  entrance,  where  she  remained  fast.  It  was 
nearly  calm  at  the  time,  and  the  captain,  who  had  traded 
in  the  Bay  for  many  voyages,  and  was  a  good  pilot, 
thought  he  could  drop  out  with  the  tide ;  but  the  swell 
set  him  on  the  point,  and  the  schooner  was  finally  lost« 


^'M 


mi 


■'  ;l' 


i;if»-j, 


866 


THE  NORTHWEST  COAST;   OR, 


i  " 


t     y 


This  wreck,  and  that  of  the  brig  Palop  before  raen- 
fioned,  were  the  only  two  vcBsels  ever  lost  in  going  in  or 
out  of  the  harbor,  and  both  nnre  wrecked  in  a  calm, 
Bmooth  time,  simply  because  their  captains  thought  there 
was  no  danger.  Captain  Davis,  the  master  of  the  Em- 
pire, then  went  to  San  Francisco,  and  returned  on  the 
13th  of  September  in  the  schooner  Maryland,  belonging 
to  the  same  owners ;  but  he  betrayed  the  trust  reposed 
in  him,  and  on  the  20th,  after  the  schooner  had  her  car- 
go on  board,  he  absconded,  taking  with  him  the  money 
he  should  have  used  to  pay  for  his  cargo.  Those  per- 
sons who  had  put  the  oysters  on  board  the  vessel  then 
called  a  meeting,  and  appointed  Captain  Eben  P.  Baker 
to  take  the  schooner  to  San  Francisco,  which  he  didi 
and  afterward  made  several  successful  voyages ;  but  at 
length,  on  a  voyage  from  San  Francisco  to  Shoal-water 
Bay  in  December,  was  washed  overboard  during  a  gale 
of  wind,  and  drowned. 

I  have  before  remarked  on  the  great  value  these  In- 
dians place  in  any  document,  either  printed  or  written, 
and  in  one  instance  I  made  it  of  service.  M'Carty's  lit- 
tle girl,  who  had  been  at  school  with  the  children  of  Mr. 
Holman,  and  had  acquired  some  knowledge  of  books, 
was,  on  the  death  of  her  father,  placed  with  the  family 
of  Judge  Weston,  the  probate  judge  of  the  county.  Her 
mother  did  not  like  to  have  her  there,  and  managed  to 
get  her  away,  and  for  many  months  she  had  been  living 
with  her  grandfather's  people  at  Gray's  Harbor,  and  had 
become  in  all  respects  a  perfect  little  squaw.  The  judge 
had  offered  rewards,  and  had  sent  people  for  her  several 
times  without  effecting  any  thing.  We  all  thought  it  a 
shame  that  the  child  should  be  left  with  the  Indians, 
but  could  not  do  any  thing  except  by  force,  which  we 
did  not  feel  authorized  to  attempt.  A  few  days  before 
ray  leaving  the  Bay  for  San  Francisco,  I  found  the  fam- 


THREE  TEARS  AT  BHOAL-WATER  BAT. 


367 


ily  of  old  Carcowan,  the  ^andfather  of  the  child,  camped 
near  Bussell's  house,  and  the  little  girl  herself  playing 
with  some  Indian  children  in  a  brook  near  hy.  I  then 
saw  the  mother,  and  asked  her  why  she  kept  the  child 
away  from  Mr.  Weston,  for  she  would  never  get  any  of 
her  father's  property  if  she  was  always  with  the  Indians, 
for  white  people  would  steal  all  they  could  get.  She 
told  me  that  she  wan  "  amed  to  have  her  child  live  with 
the  whites  unless  ^f^  pay  them,  but  that  sho  had 

nothing,  and  thereu,  a  child.    "  The  only  way," 

said  I,  "  for  you  eve-  ^.  tny  thing  for  the  child  is  to 
send  her  back."  This  she  promised  to  do  if  I  would 
give  her  &  paper  or  letter  to  the  judge.  I  promised  her 
I  would ;  but,  supposing  she  had  no  intention  of  doing 
any  snch  thing,  I  did  not  write  the  note,  neither  did  I 
see  them  for  several  days.  But  it  appeared  they  had 
been  talking  the  matter  over ;  for  when  I  next  met  them 
they  asked  for  the  letter,  and  informed  me  that  they  were 
all  going  with  the  child.  Finding  they  were  really  in 
earnest,  I  wrote  a  letter  to  the  judge  stating  the  facts, 
and  the  next  day  they  all  went  to  Chenook.  Colonel 
Stevens,  who  was  going  to  Astoria,  accompanied  them, 
and  afterward  wrote  me  that  they  had  given  up  the  child 
as  they  had  agreed  to,  and  she  had  been  sent  to  school 
somewhere  up  the  river.  She  was  a  bright,  intelligent 
httle  girl,  and  I  was  glad  to  learn  that  she  was  placed 
away  from  the  influence  of  her  Indian  relatives. 

The  provisions  of  Governor  Stevens's  treaty  which 
he  wished  to  make  with  the  Indians  at  Chehalis  were 
good,  if  they  could  be  carried  out  with  the  same  views 
with  which  they  were  originated.  They  would  have  an- 
swered exceedingly  well  for  a  colony  of  white  emigrants, 
and,  with  the  intention  of  civilizing  and  Christianizing 
the  Indians,  they  had  a  most  laudable  aim;  but  one 
great  difficulty  is,  that  an  Indian  is  essentially  different 


,'■■■  ■  ii 


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33  WIST  MAIN  STilfT 

WliSTU.N.Y.  14SSD 

(71«)S73-4S03 


i\ 


368 


THE  NORTHWEST  COAST ;   OB,  ^f!  r 


M   ' 


-')  1 


tJ  (i 


ik  '■! 


from  a  white  man  in  all  his  habits,  customs,  feelings,  and 
desires,  iv^^v^a  ii*">,  funii  fidi  I)!-'/*  ^^-^f^m  'RLi*'<Hmi:;^'^f, 
'  They  like  to  have  the  white  men  come  among  them 
and  cultivate  lands,  and  thej  like  to  trade  with  the  whites 
for  their  commodities,  but  farther  than  this  they  do  not 
want.  They  neither  wish  to  adopt  the  white  man's  style 
of  living,  or  his  language,  or  religion. 

They  feel  as  we  would  if  a  foreign  people  cftme  among 
lis,  and  attempted  to  force  their  customs  on  us  whether 
we  liked  them  or  not.  "We  are  willing  the  foreigners 
should  come,  and  settle,  and  live  with  us ;  but  if  they 
attempted  to  force  upon  us  their  language  and  religion, 
and  make  us  kave  our  old  homes  and  take  up  new  ones, 
we  would  certainly  rebel;  and  it  would  only  be  by\a 
long  intercourse  of  years  that  our  manners  could  be  made 
to  approximate.  ^  ti  jro.  -'•'V'-.o  i«-?':fv'>i  -vq-i  wm>:::-jy': 
I  Because  we  always  live  in  houses,  and  do  our  cook- 
ing and  make  our  fires  where  a  chimney,  will  cairy  off 
the  smoke,  and  always  keep  our  feet  and  heads  protect- 
ed and  our  bodies  well  clothed,  and  believe  in  the  Chris- 
tian religion,  we  think  that  it  is  right  and  proper  to 
teach  the  Indians  to  do  the  same,  simply  for  the  reason 
that  we  think  it  for  their  good.- 

But  they  have  been  educated  differently,  and  believe 
in  building  their  fires  in  the  centre  of  their  lodges,  where 
the  smoke  can  be  of  benefit  to  dry  their  provisions  for 
the  winter.  And  they  think  it  best  at  times  to  go  half 
naked,  and  for  nearly  half  the  year  to  live  in  the  open 
air,  protected  only  by  rush  mats,  and  to  look  upon  the 
Christian  religion,  as  taught  them  by  the  priest,  with  its 
images,  and  pictures,  and  symbols,  as  something  very 
nearly  resembling  their  own  Tomdnawos  style  of  relig- 
ion ;  and  to  the  Protestant  form  of  worship,  with  its  ap- 
peals to  the  intellect,  instead  of  graven  images  of  men, 
and  birds,  and  beasts,  as  something  they  can  not  com- 
prehend, and  do  not  wish  to  understand. 


/ 


•m 


THBEfi  tEiM  AT  BHOAIr>WATEB  BAT. 


869 


■m 

id 


-'-Tiike  the  whole  body  of  American  Indians,  and  con* 
jsider  the  immense  amount  of  treasure  and  blood  that  has 
been  expended  to  civilize,  to  say  nothing  of  Christian- 
izing them,  then  see  how  few,  how  very  few  have  be- 
come actually  benefited  compared  with  what  was  to  have 
been  expected.  The  whole  nature  of  the  man  must  un- 
dergo a  radical  change  before  he  can  be  made  even  to  ap- 
proximate in  his  feelings  and  views  with  those  of  the 
white  man.  That  the  Indian  can  be  absorbed  into  the 
white  race  with  advantage  to  the  Indian  can  be  shown 
by  the  present  condition  of  the  Creeks,  the  Choctaws, 
and  Chickasaws,  but  it  has  been  brought  about  by  a 
loiig  series  of  years,  and  by  a  large  admixture  of  white 
blood  with  the  Indian  stock;  and  they  always  have 
been  more  or  less  accustomed  to  agriculture,  from  hav- 
ing depended  upon  their  com  as  a  principal  means  of 
subsistence;  and  a  change  in  those  tribes  to  a  sort  of 
demi-Ksivilization  was  much  more  easily  effected  than  it 
can  be  with  the  buffalo-hunting,  salmon-catching,  or  blub- 
ber-eating natives  of  the  Northwest. 

It  has  been  supposed  by  many'that  the  whites  and 
Bed  Men  of  the  western  frontier  can  not  live  together  in 
one  community  in  peace ;  but  this  is  not  so,  as  the  course 
of  the  Hudson  Bay  Company  will  tend  to  show.  That 
immense  monopoly  has  spread  itself  idl  over  that  great 
tegion  of  the  north,  from  the  Pacific  to  the  Atlantic,  and 
for  many  years  has  been  in  constant  intercourse  with  the 
savage  tribes  throughout  that  country,  a  territory  larger 
than  the  whole  of  the  United  States,  and,  instead  of  wars 
of  extermination  or  constant  border  raids  and  feuds,  a 
lasting  friendship  has  been  maintained,  which  appeats  to 
grow  stronger  every  day.  And  the  cause  of  this  is  very 
evident,  and  seems  to  me  to  point  out  a  way  by  which 
tile  Americans  can  live  in  peace  with  these  tribes,  for  we 
must  recollect  that  we  are  now  on  the  Pacific  shore,  and 

Q2 


.  ...  *'«^ 

...  ;»5|l 


■"'.'■■■  y 


870 


THE  NORTHWEST  COAST;    0B» 


>  >!■ 


«",hi* 


K    I 


r 


there  is  no  farther  retreat  to  the  west  to  which  the  In- 
dian can  be  removed.  The  secret  of  the  success  of  the 
Hudson  Bay  Company  in  its  friendly  attempts  with  the 
Indian  is  that  they  have  always  impressed  him  with 
the  belief  that  he  is  of  some  importance  to  them.  He 
procures  for  them  their  furs,  and  they,  in  return,  give  him 
such  articles  of  barter  as  he  may  wish,  and  each,  feeling 
the  benefit  the  other  is  to  him,  wishes  to  be  at  peace. 
It  is  undoubtedly  a  very  selfish  kind  of  friendship,  but 
it  is  no  less  a  true  one.  We,  of  course,  can  not  expect 
every  American  settler  to  be  a  fur-trader  or  a  shopkeep- 
er, for  the  great  body  of  emigrants  across  the  Rocky 
Mountains  are  farmers ;  but  the  idea  of  making  the  In- 
dians useful  can  be  carried  out,  I  think,  with  success.  . 
.  i.  It  is  erroneously  supposed  by  some  that  an  Indian  is 
only  fit  to  labor,  and  that  labor  to  be  agricultural ;  but 
constant  labor  of  any  kind  is  entirely  repugnant  to  his 
nature ;  and,  although  I  have  always  found  them  ready 
to  work  for  the  whites  when  they  are  paid,  yet  they  can 
not  and  will  not  work  like  a  white  man ;  every  thing 
they  do,  from  paddling  a  canoe  to  hunting  an  elk  or  build- 
ing a  canoe,  is  done  by  sudden  fits  and  starts.  /  *"  In- 
dian, if  put  in  a  field  to  work,  will  do  so  with  th(:  *at- 
est  energy  for  ten  or  fifteen  minutes,  and  then  muat  sit 
still  an  hour  to  rest  himself.  White  men,  who  do  not 
understand  them,  call  them  lazy,  and  w^.^h  nothing  to  do 
with  ^them ;  say  they  are  of  no  account,  and  not  worth 

;.;^  Still,  much  work  can  be  got  out  of  an  Indian  *by  en- 
couragement and  praise.  Show  them  how  you  wish  a 
piece  of  work  done,  and  praUe  them  when  they  have  fin- 
ished, and  they  are,  just  like  children,  very  easily  in- 
duced to  try  again ;  but  scold,  find  fault,  or  blame  an 
Indian,  and  he  is  done ;  you  get  no  more  work  from  him 
till  his  temper  is  sweetened. 


iiiiill 


THBEE  YEABS  AT  SHOAL-WATEB  BAY. 

« 


871 


M 


Agricultural  labor  is  not  that  kind  best  suited  for  an 
Indian ;  he  likes  something  which  taxes  his  ingenuity. 
He  will  spend  whole  days  in  fashioning  a  paddle  or  a 
spear,  or  taking  the  lock  of  his  gun  to  pieces,  just  for 
the  amusement  of  cleaning  it  and  screwing  it  together 
again.  Those  that  I  have  seen  were  fond  of  using  tools, 
and  readily  learned  the  use  of  axe,  and  saw,  and  plane ; 
and,  whenever  they  had  an  opportunity,  were  fond  of 
forging  knives  and  daggers  from  files  and  rasps,  and 
could  easily  do  many  simple  kinds  of  blacksmith  work.* 
But,  although  they  are  ready  to  work  for  the  whites,  I 
never  saw  them  willing  to  work  for  themselves,  and  it  is 
folly  to  place  a  body  of  Indians  on  a  reservation  with 
the  expectation  that  they  are  going  immediately  to  work 
as  white  men.  They  do  not  seem  to  appreciate  the  ben-* 
efit  of  a  division  of  labor.  Each  one  works  by  himself 
and  for  himself.  K  he  is  making  a  canoe,  no  one  but 
his  slaves  will  help  him,  unless  he  pays  them ;  so  if  he 
wishes  to  plant  potatoes  or  make  a  net.  This  peculiar 
feeling  was  exhibited  to  us  in  their  method  of  dealing 
for  their  oysters.  Instead  of  several  joining  together 
and  filling  a  canoe,  and  equally  dividing  the  proceeds, 
each  one  works  for  himself,  and  must  be  paid  for  what 
he  may  have  procured ;  so  with  their  salmon.  I  have 
firequently  had  a  canoe  containing  three  or  four  Indians, 
and  perhaps  a  hundred  salmon  in  one  pile :  and  when 
they  were  taken  out,  each  man  knew  his  own  by  some 
mark  he  had  put  upon  it,  and  they  would  first  have  to 


'»*,<.' 


*  I  have  noticed  one  pecaliarity  in  an  Indian';  method  of  using  tools. 
They  never  cut  Jrom  them  while  using  a  knife,  as  we  do  while  whit- 
tling, but  invariably  cut  toward  themselves,  holding  a  stick  as  we  would 
a  quill  while  making  a  pen ;  or,  when  the  wood  in  too  large  to  hold  in 
that  manner,  they  will  work  with  a  knife  as  we  would  with  a  draw- 
shave.  They  also  prefer  to  sit  upon  the  ground  while  at  work  rather 
than  stand  up,  :ind  invariably  do  so  when  engaged  in  any  kind  of  work 
which  will  permit  them  to  be  seated. 


''-  m 


•'m\ 


.  iJi! 


iP^wf  1 


Mi  ' 


372 


THE  NORTHWEST  COAST;    OB, 


be  assorted  into  separate  heaps,  and  a  trade  made  with 
each  owner  for  his  respective  share.  They  would  not, 
if  placed  in  villages  or  communities  by  themselves,  be 
any  other  than  what  they  now  are,  without  the  presence 
of  whites  among  them  to  give  encouragement  to  their  la- 
bors. 

The  Hudson  Bay  Company,  in  their  treatment  of  the 
Indians,  have  combined  and  reconciled  policy  with  hu- 
manity. Their  prohibition  to  supply  them  with  ardent 
spirits  appears  to  have  been  in  all  cases  rigidly  enforced; 
and,  although  many  of  the  employes  of  the  company 
have  furnished  the  Indians  at  times  with  spirits,  yet 
such  servants  have  invariably  been  dismissed  or  de- 
graded when  found  out.  Encouragement  is  also  held 
out  by  the  Company  to  induce  their  people,  who  are 
mostly  French  Canadians,  to  intermarry  with  the  native 
women,  as  a  means  of  securing  the  fiiendship  and  trade 
of  the  different  tribes. 

As  there  are,  or  rather  were,  few  or  no  white  women 
in  those  Territories,  it  will  be  easily  seen  that  a  great 
many  half  breeds  are  now  growing  up,  who  will  in  time 
form  an  important  part  of  the  population.  The  Compa- 
ny afford  means  for  the  education  of  these  half-breed 
children,  and,  as  far  as  possible,  retain  them  among  the 
whites ;  and,  wherever  found  capable,  give  them  employ 
in  the  service  of  the  Company.;  i>i3^n>aiia.  k  eqvK;inaitf;i:?iiiS 
:?  Many  of  the  former  employes  of  the  Company,  who 
have  retired  from  service,  have  taken  farms,  where  they 
have  successfully  reared  the  half-breed  children,  and 
some  of  them  have  good  educations  and  are  well  accom- 
plished. These  people  are  generally  surrounded  by  the 
Indian  relatives  of  their  wives,  and  the  force  of  their 
example  is  seen  gradually  to  operate  on  the  savages. 
Their  natural  shyness  and  distrust  of  the  white  man  has 
been  in  a  great  degree  removed.     They  have  abandoned 


I«'tp' 


*;?ci?:'rttKl"i?j'i^ 


THBEE  TEARS  AT  8H0AI/-WATER  BAT. 


373 


the  use  of  all  their  former  arms,  hunting  and  fishing  im- 
plements, and  the  use  of  skins  and  furs  for  articles  of 
dress,  and  now  depend  entirely  upon  the  guns  and  am- 
munition, fish-hooks,  blankets,  and  calico  which  they  re- 
ceive in  trade  with  the  whites.  They  have  all  been  ed- 
ucated to  look  upon  the  Hudson  Bay  Company  and  its 
officials  as  a  great  and  powerful  people,  who  are  their 
best  friends,  who  treat  them  the  best,  pay  them  the  best 
prices  for  their  furs,  and  who  give  them  the  best  articles 
in  return ;  and  the  long  intercourse  they  have  had  with 
the  Company,  and  the  constant  use  of  fire-arms,  have 
made  them,  what  they  really  are,  a  formidable  foe.  It 
might  be  supposed  that  these  Indians, 'who  have  ac- 
quired some  habits  of  industry  fi:om  their  intercourse 
with  the  whites,  would  be  inclined  to  do  something  for 
themselves ;  but  I  have  always  remarked  that,  when 
they  are  removed  from  the  white  people  and  get  togeth- 
er, they  invariably  return  to  their  vagabond,  wandering 
life. 

The  conduct  of  the  Hudson  Bay  people,  in  their  treat- 
ment of  the  Indians,  is  certainly  worthy  of  commenda- 
tion. But  it  should  be  remembered  that  their  object  is 
not  one  of  a  missionary  nature,  and  that,  of  the  immense 
territory  placed  under  their  authority,  they  care  to  devote 
but  a  small  portion  to  agriculture.  What  they  desire 
to  obtain  are  the  furs ;  and  as  those  articles  can  be  pro- 
cured in  greater  quantities  and  at  a  less  cost  by  the  In- 
dians than  by  any  other  means,  there  is  a  direct  and  ev- 
ident motive  of  interest  to  preserve  and  conciliate  them, 
and  they  certainly  have  employed  the  best  methods  to 
attain  those  ends.  It  is  neither  the  policy  or  object  of 
our  government  to  encourage  a  monopoly  like  the  Hud- 
son Bay  Company,  or  to  make  a  trade  themselves,  but  I 
think  a  system  could  be  introduced  by  which  the  evi- 
dently excellent  method  of  the  Hudson  Bay  Company 


■v'i!i'J(i 


374 


THE  NORTHWEST  COAST;    OB, 


and  the  Indian  sub-agency,  could  be  so  combined  as  to 
produce  the  same  effect.  If  the  Indians  are  to  be  placed 
on  a  reservation,  with  the  mill  and  blacksmith  shop,  and 
other  adjuncts  of  civilization,  as  proposed  by  Governor 
Stevens,  let  there  be  a  resident  sub-agent  at  every  res- 
ervation, and  let  that  agent  be  allowed  to  keep  a  stock 
of  such  articles  as  the  Indians  need,  and  encourage  them 
to  bring  in  furs,  or  perform  work,  or  learn  to  be  mechan- 
ics, and  always  be  ready  to  pay  them  for  any  work  done. 
The  mere  paying  the  Indians  an  annuity,  either  in  mon- 
ey or  merchandise,  amounts  to  nothing,  so  far  as  any 
good  is  expected  to  be  derived  toward  civilizing  them. 
In  fact,  it  rather  encourages  idleness  among  them,  and 
they  are  almost  certain  to  barter  off  their  annuities  for 
such  articles  as  they  may  prefer. 
.  It  is  of  little  use  to  place  Indians  on  reservations,  and 
commence  to  civilize  them  by  means  of  schoolmasters 
and  missionaries,  unless  they  can  find  that  they  are  gain- 
ing something.  Tell  an  Indian  that  he  must  go  to  work 
for  himself,  and  it  will  be  a  good  thing,  and  he  simply 
will  not  believe  a  word  about  it ;  but  if  he  knows  that 
with  the  product  of  his  labor  he  can  go  to  the  store  and 
procure  what  he  desires,  he  will  not  only  go  to  work,  but 
will  then  be  ready  to  be  taught  some  new  ideas,  with  the 
hope  that  he  can  get  more  articles  in  trade.  What  he 
considers  a  good  thing  is  something  real,  tangible,  that 
he  can  take  hold  of  and  call  his  own.  A  good  heart  the 
missionary  tells  him  of  is  very  well,  but  a  good  blanket 
or  a  gun  is  better. 

Some  persons,  and  even  members  of  Congress,  think 
that  whipping  is  a  very  good  remedial  means  to  apply 
to  civilize  the  Indians ;  others,  that  the  Indian  is  only 
fit  for  whisky-drinking.  But  there  seems  to  be  no  par- 
ticular necessity  either  for  exterminating  them  by  war  or 
whisky  just  at  present.      .  ->«»  Vmh::^-  fe-,         '■^■.m^i^^ 


,K     I' 


'itti'iH' 


'iJ 


">■«  I'  11 


THBEB  YZABS  AT  SHOAL-WATEB  BAT. 


375 


The  course  pursued  hy  the  Hudson  Bay  Company 
shows  that  they  understand  the  Indian  character  to  po 
fection ;  and  if,  by  adopting  some  of  their  views,  our 
government  can  bring  about  a  state  of  feeling  among  our 
own  Indians  similar  to  those  of  the  tribes  in  British 
North  America  toward  the  Hudson  Bay  Company,  it 
would  seem  to  be  worthy  the  trial,  and  would  be  pro- 
ductive of  good  both  to  the  Indian  and  our  own  people. 

The  Hudson  Bay  Company  have  no  false,  romantic 
ideas  of  Indians,  or  that  bogus  specien  of  philanthropy 
which,  looking  upon  an  Indian  or  a  negro  as  the  brother 
and  equal  of  a  white  man,  thinks  that  he  is  capable  of 
being  treated  in  all  respects  like  one,  and  thereupon  wish- 
es to  teach  him  views  and  place  him  in  positions  for  which 
he  is  not  qualified.  They  look  upon  an  Indian  simply 
as  he  is — a  wild  savage,  but  a  man  who  has  rights  which 
they  take  care  to  respect.  That  they  do  this  for  motives 
of  gain  is  unquestionable ;  but  the  results  have  shown 
that  they  were  correct,  and  that  much  good  has  been  ao- 
complished  by  their  means. 

But,  though  the  course  of  the  Hudson  Bay  Company 
toward  the  Indians  has  been  commendable,  their  treat- 
ment of  American  citizens  in  the  territory  west  of  the 
Bocky  Mountains,  although  equally  politic,  has  not  been 
equally  unexceptionable.  The  British,  represented  first 
by  the  Northwest  Company,  and  afterward  by  the  Hud- 
son Bay  Company,  have  enjoyed  the  quiet  and  almost 
exclusive  use  of  the  Columbia  regions  from  1814  to 
1840. 

That  the  people  of  the  United  States  did  not  partici- 
pate in  those  advantages,  doubtless  arose  from  the  cir- 
cumstance that  they  could  render  their  exertions  more 
productive  elsewhere,  and  also,  probably,  because  their 
government,  from  its  nature,  could  not  afford  them  as- 
surances and  facilities  for  organization  similar  to  those 


m 


mfM 


x 


«*'■ 
p 


,1.^-' 


]■;  ii't«ii^il 


m 
■  ^m 


J  «  *;  i^.-'t.i  w. 


•  V 


i 


i  J 


;i'    I 


1 


if 


876 


THE  NORTHWEST  COAST;    OB,      V 


which  have  imparted  so  much  vigor  and  efficiency  to  the 
operations  of  the  British. 

But  when  the  tide  of  emigration  began  to  tarn  toward 
the  Columbia,  it  was  viewed  by  the  Hudson  Bay  Com« 
pany  with  no  very  favorable  eye.  True,  all  the  mission- 
aries, vnd  those  who  wished  to  settle  for  farming  pur- 
poses, were  hospitably  received,  and  aided  so  far  and  so 
long  as  their  objects  were  not  of  a  commercial  nattire. 
Yet,  if  any  one  not  connected  with  the  Company  at- 
tempted to  hunt,  or  trap,  or  trade  with  the  natives,  then 
all  the  force  of  that  body  was  turned  toward  him.  Vio- 
lent means  were  not  used,  for  it  was  unnecessary  on  the 
part  of  the  Company,  from  its  great  advantages  of  wealth 
and  knowledge  of  the  country  by  its  agents.  But,  wher- 
ever the  Americans  attempted  to  estaUish  a  post  or  to 
engage  in  trade  on  the  Columbia,  an  agent  of  the  Hud- 
son Bay  has  soon  appeared  in  that  quarter  with  a  party 
of  hunters,  or  with  specie  or  merchandise  to  be  given  to 
•the  Indians  in  exchange  for  furs  at  rates  so  much  less 
than  the  Americans  could  sell  at,  that  they  were  soon 
driven  off  the  field.  •■!^t':i 

1' The  Columbia  River  and  its  tributaries,  and  the  rich 
tsountry  it  drains,  has  always  been  regarded  by  this 
grasping  monopoly  as  a  country  peculiarly  their  own, 
and,  when  the  treaty  between  the  United  States  and 
Great  Britain,  fixing  the  northwestern  boundary,  was 
concluded  (June  Idtl  1846),  instead  of  retiring  as  they 
should,  and  as  they  have  announced  they  intended  do- 
ing, to  their  possessions  nortl.  of  the  boundary-line,  they 
are  still  remaining  as  an  incubus  on  the  prosperity  of  the 
Territory,  waiting  to  extort  from  the  American  govern- 
ment a  fabulous  price  for  their  old  log  forts  and  rotten 
trading -houses,  and,  through  their  employes,  or  those 
formerly  ih  their  employ,  seeking  to  poison  the  minds  of 
the  Indians  against  the  Americans,  and  with  what  suc- 
cess can  be  read  in  the  annals  of  the  Indian  war. 


THREE  TBABS  AT  SHOAL-WATER  BAY. 


877 


Qreenhow  remarks  that  "  the  publications  of  the  di- 
rectors and  agents  of  the  Hudson  Bay  Company  evince 
the  most  hostile  feelings  toward  citizens  of  the  United 
States,  against  whom  every  species  of  calumny  is  leveled 
in  those  works,  as  may  be  evinced  in  a  History  of  the 
Oregon  Territory  and  British  American  Fur  Trade,  by 
John  Dunn  (8vo,  London,  1844) ;  a  compound  of  ridicu- 
lous blunders,, vulgar  ribaldry,  and  infamous  calumnies. 
In  blind  and  ferocious  hatred  of  the  Americans,  Mr.  Dunn, 
ex-storekeeper  at  Fort  Vancouver,  may  claim  equality 
with  Lord  Sydenham,  formerly  Captain  General  of  Can- 
ada." 

The  governors  and  factors  of  the  company  are  very 
ready  to  extend  their  hospitalities  to  any  gentlemen  vis- 
iting ^em,  and  are  particular  in  their  attentions  to  offi- 
cials,     ...^i.  .,.'-.-H -..''- r.  :,..:  .,.,.-;.•,•.  ?■.  . 

Wilkes,  during  his  visit  to  Oregon,  while  on  his  ex- 
ploring expedition,  was  vexy  courteously  received,  and 
expresses  his  great  astonishment  how  such  generous  peo- 
ple should  be  so  unpopular  among  the  settlers,      i  j  £ 

The  principal  objection  against  this  Company  remain- 
ing in  Washington  Territory  is  not  that  they  are  English 
or  Scotch  men,  for  any  foreigner  has  the  right  to  enter 
and  trade  in  any  part  of  the  United  States  or  its  Territo- 
ries, provided  they  obey  our  laws ;  but  it  is  from  the  fact 
that  this  powerful  company  of  Bvitish  subjects  should 
be  able,  by  an  English  charter,  to  monopolize  the  whole 
Northwest  trade ;  and  that,  while  they  are  ostensibly 
American  citizens,  and  take  an  interest  in  our  political 
affairs  in  the  Territory,  they  are,  de  /ado,  the  subjects 
of  the  English  government,  considering  themselves  at  all 
times  responsible  and  amenable  to  the  British  laws, 
which  are  administered  by  their  own  officers  either  at 
their  head-quarters  in  Montreal  or  London,  to^}' 

The  Hudson  Bay  Company  was  first  chartered  by 


i':!]-! 


,  ■    I 't 

m 


'Hi  ■  ■  ■' 


?     -  f  • '    « 


li»' 


878 


THE  NORTHWEST  COAST;   OR,     <i^ 


ri 


ii  > 


Charles  II.,  King  of  England,  on  the  16th  of  May,  1669, 
who  granted  to  Prince  Rupert  and  seventeen  others,  who 
were  incorporated  as  The  Governor  and  Company  of 
Adventurers  of  England  trading  into  Ifudeon'e  jBay, 
**  the  exclusive  right  and  privilege  of  the  whole  trade  and 
commerce  of  all  those  seas,  straits,  lakes,  ereeks,  and 
sounds,  in  whatsoever  latitude  they  shall  be,  that  lie 
within  the  straits  commonly  called  Hudson*s  Straits,  to- 
gether with  all  the  lands,  countries,  and  territories  upon 
the  coasts  and  confines  of  the  seas,  straits,  lakes,  bays, 
&c.,  &c.,  which  are  not  now  in  possession  of  any  of  our 
subjects,  or  of  the  subjects  of  any  other  Christian  prince 
or  state."  And  the  company  were  empowered  to  "  send 
ships  and  to  build  fortifications  for  the  defense  of  its  pos- 
sessions, as  well  as  to  make  war  or  peace  with  all  Sta- 
tions or  people,  not  Christian^  inhabiting  those  territories, 
which  are  declared  henceforth  "  to  be  reckoned  and  re- 
puted as  one  of  his  majesty's  plantations  or  colonies  in 
America  called  Rupert's  Land."  »  '■ 

This  charter,  it  will  be  seen,  gave  the  Hudson  Bay 
Company  almost  sovereign  powers  over  the  vast  portion 
of  America  drained  by  streams  entering  Hudson's  Bay. 

In  July,  1821,  an  act  was  passed  in  Parliament  "for 
regulating  the  fur-trade,  and  establishing  civil  and  crim- 
inal jurisdiction  within  certain  parts  of  North  America." 
Shortly  after  the  passage  of  this  act,  and  in  December  of 
the  same  year,  the  king  made  a  "  grant  of  the  exclusive 
trade  with  the  Indians  of  North  America  to  the  Hudson 
Bay  Company;"  and  about  this  time  the  Northwest  Com- 
pany had  been  merged  into  the  Hudson  Bay  Company, 
and  both  were  afterward  known  by  the  latter  title. 

In  1838  the  company  relinquished  their  charter  and 
received  a  new  one,  entitled  "  Crown  grant  to  ^he  Hud- 
son Bay  Company  for  the  exclusive  trade  with  the  In- 
dians in  certain  parts  of  North  America  for  a  term  of 


^,f.- 


THREE  TEARS  AT  SHOAL-WATER  BAT. 


879 


ttoiniy^e  year%^  and  upon  surrender  of  a  former  grant.** 
This  charter  is  the  one  under  which  the  Hudson  Bay 
Company  at  present  are  operating,  and  which,  it  will  be 
seen,  expires  by  limitation  in  1858.  It  is  a  source  of 
gratification  to  the  people  of  Washington  Territory  to  > 
know  that  the  Canadian  government  are  taking  an  active 
part  to  have  this  odious  monopoly  broken  up,  and  it  is 
to  be  hoped  that,  at  the  expiration  of  its  present  charter, 
the  English  government  will  have  the  wisdom  to  throw 
open  the  trade  of  that  vast  region  to  every  one  disposed 
to  enter  into  it. 

I  have  before  remarked  on  the  influence  this  Company 
have  over  the  Indians,  and  I  will  now  proceed  to  show 
what  were  the  causes  of  the  Indian  outbreak,  and  how 
far  the  Hudson  Bay  Company  may  be  said  to  have  been 
connected  with  it.* 

It  has  been  shown  that,  at  the  time  of  the  commence- 
ment of  the  emigration  of  1840,  and  for  many  years  pri- 
or, the  almost  sole  occupants  of  the  Columbia  regions, 
besides  the  Indians,  were  the  Hudson  Bay  Company's 
people,  either  those  in  actual  service  or  their  retired  serv- 
ants, who  had  made  settlements  in  various  places,  but 
principally  in  the  Willamette  Valley.  All  these  people, 
and  also  the  Indians,  had  been  brought  up  in  the  belief 
that  the  Hudson  Bay  Company  was  an  actual  independ- 
ent government,  as  much  so  as  the  American  govern- 
ment, and  that  the  English  were  their  powerful  allies,  to 
whom  at  all  times  they  could  look  for  assistance  in  times 
of  need.  That  they  had  powers  over  lands,  and  juris- 
diction in  civil  and  criminal  cases,  they  knew  from  their 
own  experience;  and,  in  fact,  these  people  all  looked  up 


1 1 . 


*  The  reader  is  referred  to  the  letter  of  General  Gibbs,  in  the  Ap- 
pendix, for  an  exposition  of  his  views  on  the  subject  of  the  Indian  war. 
General  Gibbs's  letter  was  addressed  to  me,  but  was  not  received  in  time 
to  be  bMMrted  in  the  text. 

-      "T-.fyr   -J-    -     - 


m 


n 


m 


M     ; 


I     \ 


^f'. 


?r^ 


m 


I 


380 


THE  NOBTHWEST  COAST;   OB, 


to  the  Company  as  their  friends  and  protectors.  On  the 
other  hand,  the  officers  of  the  company  looked  upon  the 
many  advantages  to  be  derived  from  the  occupancy  of 
the^  Columbia  country,  with  a  just  appreciation  of  then: 
merits,  and  were  not  at  all  anxious  to  have  such  rich 
possessions  pass  out  of  their  hands.  The  treaty  between 
Great  Britain  and  the  United  States,  by  which  all  this 
territory  was  ceded  to  the  latter,  they  cared  nothing  about 
so  long  as  the  United  States  assumed  no  jurisdiction 
over  them,  and  they  had  seen  how  easy  it  had  been  for 
them  to  keep  away  American  traders.  The  ear;;  ^*ni- 
grants  across  the  Bocky  Mountains  were  not  of  a  charac- 
ter to  impress  them  with  any  fear  of  opposition  on  their 
part,  nor  were  they  of  a  class  calculated  to  inspire  con- 
fidence or  respect  among  the  Indians.  They  were  either 
farmers  from  the  frontiers  of  Missouri,  Iowa,  or  Wiscon- 
sin, who  had  no  use  for  an  Indian  and  n^ver  wished  to  see 
one,  or  else  they  were  a  set  of  lawless  vagabond  trappers 
and  hunters,  who,  from  their  childhood,  had  been  taught 
to  look  upon  a  savage  as  a  wild  beast  to  be  shot  down  on 
every  opportunity,  and  they  were  never  slow  to  express 
their  views  on  every  occasion  where  their  feelings  were 
roused,  both  by  words  and  action.  It  is  very  true  that 
the  colonies  ibunded  in  1834,  in  the  Willamette  Valley, 
and  those  afterward  founded  in  the  Walla  Walla  and 
Spokan  countries,  were  composed  of  people  who  farmed 
'schools  and  churches,  and  tried  to  induce  the  Indian  to 
become  civilized  and  Christianized,  and  undoubtedly  with 
many  good  results ;  but  the  Company  did  not  care  for 
these  Christitin  emigrants,  for  they  did  not  come  to  trade 
with  the  natives ;  the  objection  was  not  against  them ; 
but  they  came  with  the  other  emigrants  who  crossed  the 
plains,  and  were  classed  by  the  Indians  as  belonging  to 
them,  and  were  all  looked  upon  as  bostons  in  contradis- 
tinction to  the  Hudson  Bay  or  King  George  people. 


'ii'y 


THSEE  TEARS  AT  SHOAI/-WATER  BAT. 


381 


As  the  country  became  more  settled,  another  class  of 
men  arrived,  the  trading,  swapping  representatives  of  the 
universal  Yankee  nation.  These  men  had  an  entirely 
different  style  of  trading  from  that  of  the  Company's 
agents;  for,  while  the  latter  have  a  regular,  uniform  price 
for  their  commodities,  the  former  were  accustomed  to 
trade  on  the  peddler  system  of  each  man  for  himself,  and, 
of  course,  no  two  could  be  found  to  trade  alike.  Still, 
the  Indians  liked  to  trade  with  them,  for  they  kept  one 
article,  in  great  demand,  which  the  Hudson  Bay  people 
did  not  sell,  ahd  that  was  whisky.  Reckless,  worthless 
men,  who  are  always  to*  be  found  in  a  new  settlement, 
would  give  or  sell  whisky  to  the  Indians,  and  then, 
when  drunk,  abuse  them.  If  the  injui^  was  of  a  serious 
nature,  the  Indian  would  be  sure  to  have  revenge,  and, 
should  he  kill  a  white  man,  would  be  certainly  hanged 
if  caught;  but,  although  the  same  law  operated  on  the 
whites,  I  have  never  known  an  instance  where  a  white 
man  has  been  hanged  for  killing  an  Indian.  The  ill 
feeling  thus  engendered  against  the  Americans  by  this 
and  other  causes  was  continually  fanned  and  kept  alive 
by  the  half-breeds  and  old  servants  of  the  Company, 
whose  feelings  were  irritated  at  what  they  considered  an 
unwarrantable  assumption  on  the  part  of  these  settlers 
in  coming  across  the  mountains  to  squat  upon  lands  they 
considered  theirs  by  right  of  prior  occupancy.  The  offi- 
cers of  the  Company  also  sympathized  with  their  old 
servants  in  this  respect,  and  a  deadly  feeling  of  hatred 
has  existed  between  these  officers  and  the  American  em- 
igrants for  their  course  in  taking  possession  of  the  lands 
claimed  by  the  Puget  Sound  Agricultural  Company,  and 
other  places  on  the  Sound  and  the  Columbia  River;  and 
there  is  not  a  man  of  influence  among  them  who  would 
not  be  glad  to  have  had  every  American  emigrant  driven 
out  of  the  country.    Although  they  had  too  much  poll- 


li«>' 


M'l 


,1!.'. 


I-:  fi 


t-.^ 


f^n 

'•'  1  ' 

w 


» 


382 


THE  NORTHWEST  COAST;  OR, 


cy  to  openly  avow  their  sentiments  in  such  a  manner  as 
to  be  traced  home  to  them,  their  mouth-pieces,  their 
servants  and  menials,  but  too  well  sounded  forth  the 
sentiments  of  their  masters. 

This  state  of  angry  feeling  has  been  the  occasion  of 
speeches^  in  Congress,  violent  denunciation  by  the  Terri- 
torial press,  and  tedious  and  vexatious  lawsuits.*  Ev- 
ery man  among  the  Company^s  people  has  looked  upon 
the  advent  of  the  Americans  as  a  horde  of  barbarians 

*  The  following  extract  from  the  proceedings  of  the  Legislature  of 
Washington  Territoiy  in  1855.  will  show  the  state  o£  feeling  to  which 
reference  has  been  made : 

"Memorial  of  the  Legislature  of  Washington  Territory  to  Congress, 
in  r^ation  to  the  Hudson  Bay  and  Fuget  Sound  Agricultural  Compa- 
nies, passed  January  19th,  1855. 

**  To  the  Honorable  the  Senate  and  Houfe  of  Representatives  of  the  l(nited 
States,  in  Congress  assembled: 

"Your  memorialists,  the  Legislative  Assembly  of  the  Territoiy  of 
Washington,  respectfully  represent,  that  the  claims  to  portions  of  our 
Territory  set  up  by  the  Hudson  Bay  and  Puget  Sound  Agricultural 
Companies,  under  the  treaty  of  1846,  are  seriously  retarding  the  growth 
and  prospects  of  our  Territory,  and  doing  great  injustice  to  our  citizens. 

"  Your  memorialists  do  not  desire  to  argue  the  validity  of  the  claims 
of  either  of  these  companies ;  all  they  are  entitled  to  they  wish  them 
to  have.  But  they  most  earnestly  desire  that  their  claims  shall  be  set- 
tled, rendered  definite  and  certain ;  for,  as  they  now  stand,  with  their 
claims  extending  over  an  indefinite  extent  of  country,  unmarked  by 
any  boundary,  and  those  claims  not  asserted  until  some  emigrant  locates 
and  improves,  they  hang  like  an  incubus  upon  the  best  interests  of  the 
Territory.  Your  memorialists  would  therefore  most  respectfully  pray 
that  some  steps  may  be  taken,  and  that  speedily,  by  which  our  Territory 
shall  be  freed  from  this  deadly  Upas,  beneath  whose  branches  every 
thing  in  our  midst  withers  and  dies.        *        *        *        * 

'*  The  best  interests  of  the  Territory,  as  well  -^  the  peace  and  quie- 
tude of  the  citizens,  demand  that  something  should  be  done  upon  this 
subject.  Suits  are  now  pending,  and  more  in  readiness  to  be  brought  in 
our  courts,  for  trespasses  by  the  citizens  upon  the  unmarked,  undefined, 
and  unoccupied  lands  of  these  companies.  Thus  they  prevent  the  val- 
uable improvement  of  the  country  by  others,  and  fail  and  refuse  to 
make  it  by  themselves. 

"  Your  memorialists  might  cite  numerous  private  and  individual  in- 
stances of  injury  and  haidship  caused  by  the  uncertainty  of  the  claims 
of  these  companies  among  us,  but  they  deem  it  unnecessary." 


THBEE  TEABS  /^  SHOAIr-WATEB  BAY. 


383 


a  manner  as 
-pieces,  their 
led  forth  the 

Q  occasion  of 

by  the  Terri- 

ysuits.*    Ev- 

)  looked  upon 

of  barbarians 

he  Legislature  of 
{.feeling  to  which 

itory  to  Congress, 
^cultural  Compa- 

ativeso/the  linked 

f  the  Territory  of 
to  portions  of  our 
tound  Agricultural 
tarding  the  growth 
ice  to  our  citizens, 
lidity  of  the  claims 
to  they  wish  them 
claims  shall  be  set- 
jr  stand,  with  their 
ntry,  unmarked  by 
ae  emigrant  locates 
est  interests  of  the 
It  respectfully  pray 

hich  our  Territory 
)se  branches  every 
n        * 
lie  peace  and  quie- 

be  done  upon  this 
BBS  to  be  brought  in 

jiarked,  undefined, 
Ley  prevent  the  val- 

fail  and  refuse  to 

and  individual  in- 
linty  of  the  claims 
kecessary." 


who  have  come  to  rob  tma  of  their  just  rights;  for  it 
must  be  observed  that  almost  all  the  Company's  em- 
ployes are  ignorant  men,  who  do  not  or  will  not  under- 
stand by  what  right  the  Americans  can  settle  in  their 
territory  and  drive  them  away,  or  else  make  them  be- 
come American  citizens.  Hence  the  feeling  evinced  by 
such  men  as  Captain  Scarborough,  and  others  of  influ- 
ence among  the  Indians  and  lower  order  of  whites. 

The  constant  comparison  was  made  that  the  Bostons, 
as  the  Americans  are  called,  were  cultus  tiUioumSj  mean, 
common,  or  trifling  people ;  while  the  JCing  George^  or 
English,  were  hyaa  tyee^  or  great  chief  people,  or  persons 
of  importance.  Even  articles  of  trade,  blankets,  caHcoes, 
and  other  things,  were  the  objects  of  invidious  compari- 
Whoever  has  traded  with  an  Indian  in  the  Terri- 


son. 


tory  must  have  often  heard  the  remark,  ^^Wake  close 
okoke  Boston  mdmokej  wake  car^qua  King  George,  qu6r 
nisum  close  kon'away  icktas  King  George  mdmoke — 
This  is  not  good,  this  American  manufacture ;  it  is  not 
like  the  English ;  that  is  always  good." 
,  But,  although  these  people  took  good  care  to  talk  civ- 
illy to  the  Americans,  they  seldom  failed,  when  by  them- 
selves, to  curse  the  Yankees,  and  compare  the  state  of 
things  with  the  good  old  times  when  the  Company  held 
absolute  control. 

Some  of  them  were  active  in  advising  the  Indians  not 
to  make  treaties  with  Governor  Stevens,  telling  them 
the  most  fabulous  tales  of  the  designs  of  the  Americans 
to  drive  them  all  out  of  the  country.  Although  there 
was  no  positive  proof  that  could  be  had  against  such 
persons  (for  an  Indian's  evidence  is  not  taken),  yet  there 
exists  no  doubt  upon  the  minds  of  all  well-informed  per- 
sons of  the  fact  that  the  advice  of  these  people  to  the  In- 
dians has  operated  very  unfSa,vorably  toward  the  treaties 
of  Governor  Stevens. 


HUIL.  ■'! 


■I. 


fl  -.M 


^ti*^ 


■MW 


fli 


k  I 


1  ■ 


11  'I 


i  i  ' 


f 


■■    ; 


I   ■t,f:';W, 


384 


THE  NORTHWEST  COAST;  OB, 


It  soon  became  apparent  to  the  Hudson  Bay  Compa- 
ny that  it  was  useless  for  them  to  attempt  to  withstand 
the  tide  of  American  emigration.  Thej  saw  that,  with 
the  advent  of  the  Americans,  their  trade  with  the  In- 
dians was  interfered  with,  and  that  themselves  were  in 
very  bad  odor  with  a  majority  of  the  settlers.  Many  of 
their  servants  also  deserted  to  get  higher  wages,  which 
were  readily  obtained  in  all  the  American  towns  and  set- 
tlements ;  so  it  was  concluded  to  sell  out  to  the  United 
States,  and  retire  north  of  the  boundary-line  so  soon  as 
a  settlement  could  be  effected.  The  fact  that  the  Com- 
pany were  about  to  remove  from  the  Territory,  and  in- 
tended closing  up  their  affairs  there,  was  well  known  and 
talked  about  by  the  Indians  and  by  those  of  the  former 
servants  who  had  permanently  settled  themselves  <  on 
£urms.  To  all  these  people,  the  idea  of  the  Company's 
removing  seemed  like  the  breaking  up  of  old  associations, 
and  the  severing  the  bonds  of  an  ancient  friendship.  Nor 
did  they  like  the  idea  of  having  the  Indians  placed  on 
reservations.  They  wanted  the  Indians  to  remain  with 
them,  and  consequently  were  busy  in  circulating  their 
reports  unfavorable  to  the  Americans  and  favoring  the 
English.  The  Indians  also  were,  as  a^  general  thing, 
opposed  to  going  on  the  reservations,  both  from  a  natu- 
ral repugnance  and  from  the  advice  of  those  who  wished 
them  to  remain  in  their  old  homes.  ^""^  ^ t  k-t  "o  amc  * 

Neither  had  they  any  faith  in  the  treaties,  as  they  had 
seen  how  little  reliance  was  placed  on  all  that  had  been 
before  attempted  to  be  concluded  with  thdm,  a  fact  also 
constantly  brought  up  by  these  servants  of  the  Com- 
pany in  drawing  their  comparisons  between  the  actions 
of  the  "Bostons"  and  "King  George"  people.  They 
were  undoubtedly  correct  in  that  respect,  for  all  for- 
mer treaties  had  been  repudiated  by  Congress,  the  stu- 
pidity of  the  agents  rendering  them  incompetent  either 


THREE   YEARS   AT   SHOAL-WATER  BAY. 


385 


to  draw  up  a  proper  document  or  to  negotiate  one  when 
drawn. 

After  my  return  from  the  treaty  on  the  Chehalis,  in 
February  (1855),  I  was  constantly  hearing  these  tales 
from  the  Indians.  Carcowan  and  his  people  always  had 
plenty  of  them  to  tell,  and  frequently  that  old  savage 
has  remarked  that  the  King  George  people  would  help 
them  to  drive  off  the  Bostons. 

That  the  Company  did  furnish  them  with  guns  and 
ammunition  is  notorious  to  every  one ;  but,  in  justice  to 
them,  I  must  add,  that  after  the  war  actually  commenced 
they  stopped  the  sale  of  fire-arms  and  powder  to  the  In- 
dians within  the  limits  of  the  Territory. 

I  was  astonished  at  the  regularity  with  which  the 
Coast  Indians  received  information  of  the  occurrences 
taking  place  in  the  interior ;  but,  as  I  placed  no  depend- 
ence on  what  the  Indians  reported  (for  we  had  not  heard, 
except  by  them,  of  any  trouble  among  the  miners),  I  took 
but  little  notice.  But  after  my  leaving  the  Bay,  in  Oc- 
tober, 1855, 1  learned  that  all  the  stories  told  me  by  the 
Indians  were  true,  and  I  was  satisfied  that  a  regular  com- 
munication had  been  kept  up  by  all  the  tribes  of  the  Ter- 
ritory for  a  long  time.  This  state  of  feeling  between  the 
Hudson  Bay  servants,  half-breeds,  and  Indians,  and  the 
Americans,  had  existed,  as  I  have  shown,  for  several 
years,  but  the  immediate  cause  of  the  outbreak  was  the 
discovery  of  the  gold  at  Fort  Colville,  and  the  conse- 
quent rush  of  the  miners  to  that  point.  Fort  Colville  is 
near  the  forty-ninth  parallel,  and  consequently  close  to 
the  Company's  territorial  possessions  north  of  that 
boundary. 

The  news  of  this  discovery  was  brought  by  some  Nez 
Perce  Indians,  who  every  year  visit  the  Dalles  and 
Lower  Columbia  to  sell  horses.  A  number  of  the  re- 
tired servants  of  the  Hudson  Bay  Company  who  had 

B 


m 


m 

8?  •  I 


%i3 


/u 


V 


/ 


I. 


1  ■ 


Pi  . 


386   - 


THE   NORTHWEST   COAST;    OR, 


intermarried  with  this  tribe  had  settled  in  the  Willa- 
mette Valley,  and  to  these  persons  the  Indians  commu- 
nicated the  intelligence  of  the  gold  discovery.  These 
settlers,  who  were  mostly  French  Canadians,  immedi- 
ately left  their  farms  and  stock,  and  went  off  for  the 
mines.  The  news  soon  spread,  and  a  general  rush  took 
place.  Thousands — some  with  tools  and  provisions,  and 
some  without  either — left  for  the  new  El  Dorado,  and*  at 
one  time  it  seemed  as  if  there  was  a  new  California  about 
being  established. 

The  Hudson  Bay  Company  did  not  at  all  like  this 
movement  on  the  part  of  the  Americans.  They  did  not 
object  to  French  or  English  people,  but  the  trading, 
swapping  Yankee,  who  has  always  a  stock  of  goods  with 
him  to  **  operate"  with,  was  what  they  could  not  brook. 
They  had  always,  before  this,  found  no  difficulty  in  keep- 
ing the  Yankee  traders  at  bay,  but  they  now  came  like  a 
swarm  of  locusts,  and,  instead  of  wishing  to  trade  at  the 
fort,  almost  every  man  was  a  trader.  It  is  folly  for  any 
one  to  say  that  the  Company  did  not  want  the  trade  and 
consequent  gold  of  that  multitude  of  miners ;  for,  if  they 
did  not  wish  for  trade,  why  do  they  remain  in  the  Terri- 
tory, like  the  dog  in  the  manger,  and  prevent  those  from 
trading  who  wish  ? 

Therefore  what  few  expressions  they  did  let  fall  served 
as  sparks  to  powder,  to  induce  the  Indians,  who  were  all 
ready  to  commence  for  themselves,  to  begin  hostilities. 

"  The  first  blood  that  was  shed  in  Washington  Terri- 
tory," says  Colonel  Anderson,  in  his  speech  before  the 
House  of  Representatives,  in  Congress,  on  the  6th  of 
August,  1856,  "  was  that  of  a  miner,  who,  in  August, 
1855,  was  on  his  way  from  Puget  Sound  to  Fort  Col- 
ville,  having  with  him  a  good  deal  of  money,  provisions, 
etc.  Soon  after  passing  beyond  the  limits  of  the  Yaka- 
mas,  he  was  pursued  by  a  party  of  Indians,  massacred, 


THREE  TEARS  AT  SHOAL-WATER  BAT. 


387 


and  robbed  of  every  thing  he  had  with  him.  Shortly 
after,  other  murders  were  reported  to  have  been  commit- 
ted in  the  Yakama  country.  In  September,  Indian 
Agent  Bolon  went  into  that  country  to  ascertain  some- 
thing about  these  outrages,  and  he  too  was  not  permit- 
ted to  return.  He  was  murdered  in  the  most  cruel 
manner.  When  this  occurred,  there  was  no  escaping 
the  conviction  that  a  general  outbreak  had  been  determ- 
ined on  by  the  Indians." 

General  Palmer,  Superintendent  of  Indian  affairs  for 
Oregon,  who  went  to  the  Dalles  shortly  after  the  death 
of  Bolon  for  the  express  purpose  of  collecting  reliable 
information  in  relation  to  the  causes  of  the  outbreak, 
says,  in  an  official  communication  to  the  Indian  Depart- 
ment, on  the  25th  of  October,  1855,  "  The  evidences  of 
a  deep-rooted  prejudice  against  our  citizens  prevail  among 
all  our  tribes  in  Middle  and  Upper  Oregon,  the  Nez 
Perces  excepted.  How  far  that  feeling  may  be  fanned 
and  kept  alive  by  aliens  from  other  countries  and  their 
descendants,  we  are  not  able  to  judge,  but  that  it  does 
extend  to  the  entire  exclusion  and  occupancy  of  the 
country  hy  our  own  citizens  is  a  fact  undeniable.'''' 
Captain  Cain  also  wrote  to  the  Commissioner  for  Indian 
Affairs,  on  the  22d  of  November,  "  There  is  abundant 
evidence  to  my  mind  that  this  war  has  been  contem- 
plated by  the  Indians  for  the  last  three  or  four  years, 
and  I  will  take  the  proper  steps  to  obtain  the  testimony, 
and  submit  it  to  your  consideration  at  the  earliest  mo- 
ment." 

I  think  I  have  shown  the  causes  that  have  produced 
a  state  of  feeling  that  would  prompt  the  Indians  to  take 
the  field  against  us ;  and  I  think  the  officers  of  the  Hud- 
son Bay  Company  in  the  Territory,  although  no  proof 
can  be  adduced  to  show  that  they,  as  a  Company^  have 
induced  this  state  of  things,  yet  they  knew  the  feelings 


i 


tm 


m 


w 


l'< 


388 


THE  NORTHWEST  COAST;    OR, 


';     I 


IM  It 


f 

(I; 


of  the  Indians  toward  the  Americans,  and  they  are  mor- 
ally  responsible  for  not  using  the  great  influence  they 
possess  over  the  savages  not  only  to  have  prevented  this 
trouble  at  its  incipiency,  but  to  have  advised  the  Indians 
to  agree  to  Governor  Stevens's  propositions  for  treaties. 
It  is  a  very  significant  fact  that  not  a  single  English  or 
Frenchman,  or  any  one  having  to  do  with  the  Company, 
was  murdered ;  it  was  invariably  the  Americans ;  and 
a  party,  on  their  way  from  the  mines,  were  saved  from 
massacre  by  having  with  them  a  couple  of  French  half- 
breeds,  who  passed  them  off  as  English  or  King  George 
people.* 

My  conclusions  as  to  the  existence  of  the  bad  feeling 
toward  the  Americans  have  been  drawn  from  my  own 
observations  during  my  residence  at  Shoal-water  Bay  ror 
three  years.  All  the  Indians  I  met  with  there  had  been 
accustomed  to  trade  with  the  Company's  agents  until  the 
oystermen  of  the  Bay  wished  their  services ;  and  the  con- 
versations I  have  had  with  them  at  various  times  inva- 
riably showed  a  preference  for  the  Company's  people. 
There  were  also,  at  the  mouth  of  the  Columbia  and 
about  the  Bay,  persons  who  had  been  in  the  employ  of 
the  Hudson  Bay  Company  in  various  capacities,  and  who 
were  always  ready  to  draw  comparisons  favorable  to  their 
former  employers.  It  is  perfectly  natural  such  feelings 
should  exist,  and  it  is  to  be  wondered  at  why  this  pri- 
mary cause  of  difficulty  should  have  been  overlooked  by 
General  Wool,  the  commander  of  the  forces  on  the  Pacif- 
ic, and  the  whole  trouble  be  charged  to  a  rapacious  spir- 
it of  the  settlers,  who  were  accused  by  him  of  bringing 
about  the  war  for  the  purpose  of  supplying  forage  to  the 

*  It  should  be  remembered  that  the  exemption  of  the  French  and 
English  from  attack  by  the  Indians  was  at  the  beginning  of  the  Indian 
troubles.  Since  that  time  the  Indians  do  not  appear  to  be  very  par- 
ticular whose  scalp  they  get,  provided  it  is  a  white  man's.      , .    .     ■ 


THREE  YEARS  AT  SHOAL-WATER  BAT. 


389 


United  States  troops.  Had  he  been  as  ready  to  search 
into  facts  as  he  was  to  become  a  "  swift  witness"  against 
a  whole  community,  far  different  results  might  have  en- 
sued, r 

At  the  time  of  the  commencement  of  hostilities,  Gov- 
ernor Stevens,  with  his  party,  was  among  the  Black 
Feet  Indians,  east  of  the  Rocky  Mountains,  and  by  the 
outbreak  was  cut  off  from  all  communication  with  Ol^m- 
pia,  the  seat  of  government.  The  duty  then  devolved  on 
Mr.  Mason,  the  Secretary  of  the  Territory,  who  was  offi- 
ciating as  acting  governor.  Mr.  Mason  informed  the  gov- 
ernment at  Washington  of  the  existing  state  of  affairs, 
and  of  his  want  of  men  and  means,  and  orders  were  im- 
mediately issued  to  General  Wool,  then  at  San  Francis- 
co, to  proceed  at  once  to  the  scene  of  difficulties. 

General  Wool,  with  a  lamentable  ignorance  of  the  to* 
pography  of  the  country,  issued  a  proclamation,  in  which 
he  states  that  he  intends  "  making  his  saddle  his  head- 
quarters," and  at  once  set  off  with  a  most  commendable 
zeal  for  Fort  Vancouver,  on  the  Columbia  River.  But 
on  his  arrival  he  found  matters  far  different  from  his  ex- 
pectations. A  very  severe  winter  had  set  in — in  fact, the 
coldest  that  had  been  known  for  years,  and  the  commu- 
nication with  the  interior  of  the  Territory  and  its  more 
remote,  borders  was  for  a  time  suspended.  There  was 
no  trouble  in  the  immediate  vicinity  of  Fort  Vancouver, 
and  but  very  few  Indians,  aiid  those  friendly,  were  to  be 
seen. 

General  Wool  now  took  the  advice  of  parties  who  did 
not  state  to  him  the  real  condition  of  affairs ;  but  he  saw 
that  he  could  be  of  no  service  by  camping  out  on  his 
saddle,  so  he  returned  to  San  Francisco,  where  he  coni- 
menced  writing  his  letters  against  the  governors  and  peo- 
ple of  both  Oregon  and  Washington  Territories.       •  fM^ 

The  fact  seemed  to  be  entirely  lost  sight  of  that  this 


iM 


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1. 

1     < 

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390 


THE  NORTHWEST  COAST;    OR, 


Indian  trouble  was  commenced  on  the  border  between 
ourselves  and  a  foreign  state,  and  that  the  same  influ- 
ences were  brought  to  bear  that  were  used  in  all  our 
border  trouble  with  our  northern  neighbors — that  of  in- 
citing a  feeling  among  the  Indians  invidious  to  the  Amer- 
icans. It  would  have  been  possibly  a  part  of  wisdom  to 
have  secured  the  good  feeling  and  hearty  co-operation  of 
th^  Hudson  Bay  officials,  who,  by  their  influence,  would 
have  been  far  more  effective  than  the  troops  which  were 
kept  quartered  at  Fort  Vancouver.  It  certainly  is  un- 
fortunate that  General  Wool  did  not  consult  and  advise 
with  Governors  Curry  and  Stevens,  who,  from  their  of- 
ficial positions  and  vastly  superior  knowledge,  both  of 
the  country  and  the  character  of  the  Indians,  could  h^ve 
given  him  sound  and  sensible  advice.  Be  that  as  it  may, 
one  thing  is  now  certain:  that  no  lasting,  permanent 
peace  can  be  maintained  with  those  Indians  until  they 
are  thoroughly  subdued.  What  was  intended  to  have 
been  effected  by  treaties  must  now  be  done  by  force ; 
nor  am  I  alone  in  this  opinion. 

General  Gibbs,  in  a  letter  to  me  dated  at  Fort  Stei- 
lacoom,  Washington  Territory,  July  31,  1856,  writes : 
"  There  is  still  no  hope  of  a  permanent  peace  here  till 
one  is  concluded  on  the  other  (eastern)* side  the  Cascade 
Mountains,  and  you  know  enough  of  Indians  to  know 
that  a  peace  can  not  be  made  permanent  till  they  are 
subdued.  *  *  *  The  incompetency,  or  willful  and 
obstinate  inefficiency  of  General  Wool  paralyzed  all  op- 
erations in  the  country  east  of  the  Mountains  during  the 
past  winter."  General  Lane,  of  Oregon,  in  his  remarks 
before  Congress  on  the  7th  of  May,  1856,  says :  "  The 
general  (Wool)  is  mistaken  in  his  information.  He  has 
not  examined  the  geography  of  the  country.  He  has 
been  grossly  deceived." 

It  is  not  my  purpose  to  enter  into  a  dissertation  of 


j^HI 


THREE  YEARS  AT  SHOAL-WATER  BAY. 


391 


occurrences  of  this  war  since  its  commencement,  but  to 
record  my  own  belief  that  the  charges  brought  against 
the  Oregon  and  Washington  people  having  originated 
this  war  for  their  own  selfish  ends  are  wholly  and  un- 
qualifiedly false ;  and  that,  as  Colonel  Anderson  remark- 
ed in  Congress  (August  6th,  1856),  "  there  is  not  the 
first  shadow  of  a  foundation  or  the  first  scintilla  of  evi- 
dence to  substantiaio  them." 

But  while  I  thus  record  my  views  in  the  one  case,  I 
am  no  apologist,  on  the  other  hand,  for  any  acts  commit- 
ted by  settlers  which  have  served  to  widen  the  breach 
between  the  Americans  and  Indians.  That  such  acts 
have  been  committed  does  not  admit  of  doubt ;  neither 
is  it  untrue  that  many  persons  have  been  glad  of  the 
war,  that  they  **  might  furnish  forage  to  the  troops,  and 
looked  upon  such  an  opportunity  as  a  God-send."  There 
always  are  people  in  every  country  glad  of  such  chances 
to  enrich  themselves,  but  such  things  are  an  effect,  not 
the  cause,  of  the  war ;  and  General  Wool  has  certainly 
been  very  much  mistaken  when  he  denounces  a  whole 
people  as  originating  the  unhappy  state  of  affairs  in 
Oregon  and  Washington  for  the  purpose  of  plundering 
the  Treasury  of  the  United  States. 

These  disturbances  have  been  very  prejudicial  to  the 
interests  of  the  Territory,  and  have  set  back  the  im- 
provements for  years ;  but  with  the  coming  season  and 
active  operations,  it  is  to  be  hoped  that  a  solid  and  last- 
ing peace  will  be  established.* 

*  See  General  Gibbs's  letter  to  me  on  the  Indian  War,  in  the  Ap. 
pendix. 


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892 


THE   NOKTUWEST   COAST;   OR, 


CHAPTER  XXI. 

Description  of  Washington  Territory. — Face  of  the  Country.— Mount- 
ains,  Minerals,  Rivers,  Bays,  and  Lalces. — Objects  of  Interest  to  the 
Tourist. — Falls  of  the  Snoqualmie. — Colonel  Anderson's  Description. 
— Anecdote  of  Patlcanim. — He  forms  an  Alliance  with  Colonel  Mike 
Simmons. — Constructive  Presence  of  Colonel  Simmons  at  a  Fight. — 
Productions  of  the  Territory. — Governor  Stevens's  Remarks. — North- 
em  Pacific  Rail-road. — Military  Roads. — Public  Spirit. — Appropria- 
tions by  Congress. — Judge  Lancaster. — Population. — Advantages  to 
Emigrants. — Whale  Fishery. — Russian  Trade. — Amoor  River. — Van- 
couver's Views  on  Climate. — Winter  of  1806  in  Latitude  56°  North. — 
Salmon,  1807. — Closing  Remarks. — Letter  from  Colonel  Anderson. 
— Advice  to  Emigrants.  ^  \ 

Washington  Territory  is  the  extreme  northwest 
domain  of  the  United  States,  and  is  bounded  by  the 
Straits  of  Fuca  and  the  49th  parallel  of  latitude  on  the 
north,  the  Pacific  on  the  west,  the  Kocky  Mountains  on 
the  east,  and  by  Oregon  on  the  south,  from  which  it  is 
separated  by  the  Columbia  River  to  near  Fort  Walla 
Walla,  and  from  thence  by  the  46th  parallel.  Its  form 
is  nearly  that  of  a  parallelogram,  with  an  area  of  some 
123,022  square  miles. 

The  approach  to  Washington  Territory  from  the  Pa- 
cific 3  not  so  abruptly  mountainous  as  that  of  Oregon. 
The  coast  from  Cape  Disappointment  to  Cape  Flattery 
is  nearly  north  and  south,  and  can  be  traveled  alu.o.-jt  ifs 
entire  length  on  a  beautiful  sand-beach,  with  thr  nxeer- 
ticns  of  the  openings  of  Shoal-water  Bay,  Gray  a  Har- 
bor, the  Copaiis,  Queniult,  and  one  or  two  other  small 
rivers.  Only  a  few  points  jutting  into  the  sea  render  a 
portage  ovjr  them  necessary,  but  the  whole  distance  is 
easily  traxers''i  wTn  the  r*  jcasional  aid  of  a  canoe. 

Vancouver  noticed  the  ^afference  of  the  appearance  of 


; 


THREE  YEARS  AT  SHOAL  WATER  BAT. 


893 


the  coa;  lorth  of  the  Columbia,  and  writes  (April,  1702), 
while  about  two  leagues  off  shore,  (^^4)6  Di»ap|w>intmcnt 
bearing  north  32°  east:  "The  ^  ountry  w  before  us 
(Shoal-water  Bay)  presented  a  most  luxuriant  landsc  ipe, 
and  was  probably  not  a  little  heightened  in  beauty  by 
the  weather  that  prevailed.  The  more  interior  parts 
were  somewhat  elevated,  and  agreeably  diversified  with 
hills,  from  y  liich  it  gradually  descended  to  the  shore, 
and  te  .'  4i  +  in  a  sandy  beach.  The  whole  had  the 
ripp*arn,rce  of  a  continued  forest,  extending  north  as  far 
ns  tiie  <ye  could  reach,  which  made  me  very  solicitous 
;  ^  find  a  port  in  the  vicinity  of  a  country  presenting  so 
delight  I  ul  a  prospect  of  fertility." 

It  is  emphatically  a  mountainous  country,  and  con- 
tains within  its  limits  some  of  the  highest  mountains  of 
the  Coast  range.  The  principal  peaks  of  the  Cascade 
range  are  Mount  St.  Helen's,  Mount  Adams,  Mount  Ha- 
nier,  and  Mount  Baker.  Mount  Olympus,  which  is  the 
highest  of  the  Coast  range,  has  an  elevation  of  8197 
feet.  Mount  St.  Helen's  13,300,  and  Mount  Ranier 
12,000.     These  peaks  are  clothed  with  perpetual  snow. 

The  Indian  disturbances  have,  in  a  great  measure,  re-^ 
tarded  the  developing  of  the  resources  of  the  Territory ; 
and,  with  the  exception  of  the  operations  in  the  coal 
mines  at  Bellingham's  Bay,  and  the  sandstone  quarries 
on  the  Cowlitz,  and  the  gold  mines  at  Fort  Colville,  but 
few  minerals  have  been  worked. 

Dr.  Evans,  the  geologist  of  Oregon,  who  has  obtained 
Trom  personal  experience  more  reliable  information  than 
any  one  else,  states  that  there  is  coal  in  abundance,  gold 
in  rich  diggings,  marble  in  vast  quarries,  and  an  inex- 
haustible supply  of  lead. 

The  Columbia  River,  which  separates  the  two  Terri- 
tories of  Oregon  and  Washington,  is  the  principal  stream, 
and  from  Fort  Walla  Walla  continues  wholly  within 

R2 


ii^J 


iv-^- 


1; 


394 


.11 


i-n 


'■'k\-. 


THE  NORTHWEST  COAST;    OB, 


Washington  Territory  till  it  enters  the  British  territory- 
near  the  junction  of  the  Rocky  Mountains  and  the  49th 
parallel.  There  are  numerous  and  valuable  tributaries 
to  the  Columbia  in  Washington,  of  which  the  princi- 
pal are  the  Okinakane,  Yakaraa,  Snake,  Walla  Walla, 
Cathlapoodl,  and  Cowlitz.  Shoal-water  Bay,  which  is 
directly  north  of  the  Columbia,  and  which  is  a  most 
excellent  harbor,  receives  the  waters  of  several  small 
streams,  of  which  the  Whil-a-pah,  Palux,  and  Nasal  are 
the  principal. 

Giv^y's  Harbor,  eighteen  miles  north  of  Shoal-water 
Bay,  receives  the  waters  of  the  Chehalis,  a  fine  stream 
of  130  miles  in  length,  and  also  the  Satsop,  and  other 
smaller  rivers.  The  Queniult  River,  which  runs  into 
the  Pacific  five  miles  north  of  Point  Grenville,  has  lis 
rise  in  a  fine  lake  of  the  same  name,  about  twenty  miles 
from  the  ocean,  but  can  not  be  entered  from  its  mouth, 
and  is,  consequently,  of  no  commercial  use.  There  are 
many  streams  running  into  Fuca  Straits,  and  into  the 
waters  of  Bellingham's  Bay,  Admiralty  Inlet,  Hood's 
Canal,  and  Puget  Sound,  and  of  these  the  Dungeness, 
Skokomish,  Nisqually,  Duwamsh,  Snoqualraie,  and 
Nooksahk  are  the  principal. 

Besides  the  Queniult  Lake,  there  are  several  others 
of  importance,  as  the  Duwamsh,  Sammamish,  Whatcom, 
and  Cushman,  to  the  west  of  the  Cascade  range ;  and  to 
the  east  are  Lake  Pend'oreilles,  Chelan,  Kullerspelm, 
Osoyoos,  Okinakane,  Grand  Coulee,  Lake  Elias,  Salt 
Lake,  and  many  others  of  smaller  size.       ' 

The  only  island  of  note  on  the  Coast  is  Destruction 
Island,  but  in  the  waters  of  the  Straits  of  Fuca  and  Ad- 
miralty Inlet  are  many  of  importance.  The  principal 
ones  are  Whidbey's  Island  in  Admiralty  Inlet,  which  is 
about  forty  miles  long,  and  noted  for  its  deer.  East  of 
Whidbey's  Island  is  M'Donough's,  and  south  are  Bain- 


THREE   YEARS   AT  SHOAL-WATER  BAY. 


395 


bridge,  Vashons ;  and  in  Puget  Sound  are  Fox,  M*Neil, 
Anderson's,  and  Hartstein's ;  and  in  Bellinghara's  Bay 
and  the  Rosario  Straits  are  others  of  less  importance. 

Washington  Territory  shares  with  Oregon  the  grand 
scenery  of  the  Columbia,  the  Cascades,  the  Dalles,  and 
other  interesting  points.  The  lofty  peaks  of  St.  Helen's, 
Ranier,  Adams,  and  Baker,  of  the  Cascade  range,  and 
Mount  Olympus  on  the  Coast,  rear  their  snowy  heads. 
Mount  St.  Helen's  is  a  volcano,  and  has  been  in  active 
operation  as  late  as  1842  ;  and  the  appearance  of  many 
parts  of  the  Temtory  shows  that  the  volcanic  action  has 
not  been  uncommon. 

The  rivers  of  Washington,  having  their  rise  in  the 
mountains,  have  magnificent  scenery,  and  on  many  of 
them  falls  of  magnitude  may  be  found.  Colonel  Ander- 
son, while  marshal  of  the  Territory,  visited  many  of  them 
while  traversing  the  country  taking  the  census.  He 
writes  me  from  Washington  City,  January  25th,  1857, 
as  follows : 

"During  the  month  of  July,  1852, 1  visited  the  cele- 
brated Snoqualmie  Falls,  the  second  white  party  that 
had  ever  visited  them.  Lieutenant  Floyd  Jones,  of  the 
4th  Infantry,  United  States  Army,  was  with  me.  We 
measured  the  falls  with  a  thread,  and  found  them  to  be 
260  feet  high  perpendicular.  They  are  truly  grand. 
The  Snoqualmie  Falls  are  in  about  47°  40'  north,  and 
121°  30''  west.  The  Snoqualmie  River  is  the  south 
branch  and  main  tributary  to  the  Snohomish,  and  emp- 
ties into  the  latter  about  twenty  miles  below  and  west 
of  the  falls,  and  about  thirty  miles  above  and  east  of  the 
mouth  of  the  Snohomish,  which  makes  it  about  fifty 
miles  from  the  falls  to  the  mouth  of  the  Snohomish, 
which  is  nearly  opposite  the  south  end  of  M'Donough's 
Island,  in  what  Vancouver  called  *  Possession  Sound* 
(for  there  he  took  possession  of  the  country  in  the  name 
of  his  sovereign). 


m 


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'I' I 


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i 

■■    ! 

<  1 


396 


THE  NORTHWEST  COAST;    OR, 


"  The  Snohomish  is  navigable  by  small  steamers  as  far 
up  as  the  mouth  of  the  Snoqualmie,  which  is  about  the 
head  of  tide-water.  Canoes  ascend  within  a  mile  of  the 
falls  at  all  seasons.  About  ten  miles  below  the  falls," 
adds  the  colonel,  '*is  the  residence  and  head-quarters 
of  the  celebrated  chief  Patkanim^  who  had  a  brother 
hung  at  Fort  Steilacoom  in  1850  (by  order  of  the  court. 
Judge  Strong)  for  murdering  a  soldier.  Since  that  time 
Pat  was  supposed  to  harbor  feelings  of  revenge  against 
ikio.  Bostons^  and,  iu  consequence,  wa*.  narrowly  watched. 
He  was  known  to  be  shrewd,  designing,  cunning,  and 
crafty.  But  in  1852  he  took  a  trip  on  a  lumber  vessel 
to  San  Francisco,  and  when  he  returned  he  said  his  turn- 
turn  had  killapied,  or  his  heart  had  changed ;  that  the 
Bostons  were  too  strong  for  the  Indians  to  contend  with ; 
they  had  too  many  ships,  houses,  men,  &c.  So,  in  this 
last  war,  he  tendered  the  services  of  himself  and  a  com- 
pany of  braves  to  the  governor  to  assist  in  whipping 
Leschi,  Nelson,  and  other  Indians  on  White  Riven  At 
first  he  was  repulsed,  but  he  importuned  the  governor, 
and  protested  the  strongest  friendship  for  the  Bostons. 
At  the  solicitation  of  old  Mike  Simmons  (the  Daniel 
Boone  of  Washington  Territory),  the  governor  consent- 
ed, and  accepted  Pat  and  his  braves  as  allies. 

'*  Simmons  and  a  young  man  named  Fuller  accompa- 
nied Pat  on  his  first  and  only  expedition.  They  sur- 
prised the  enemy  on  White  River,  routed  them,  killing 
nine  and  losing  five  braves.  Pat  brought  the  heads  of 
his  slain  as  trophies  to  Colonel  Simmons,  who  did  not 
participate  personally  in  the  fight,  except  by  being  con- 
structively present,  that  is,  in  his  tent  near  by.  Of 
course,  this  was  a  feather  in  Pat's  cap.  He  returned  to 
Olympia  with  his  braves  to  receive  the  crown  of  laurel 
that  always  awaits  the  conqueror,  which  in  this  case  took 
the  form  of  the  hiyu  ickters — many  things  in  the  shape 


%:;'^ 


THREE  TEARS  AT  SHOAL-WATER  BAT. 


397 


of  presents  which  the  governor  had  promised  him  if  he 
should  be  successful.  I^at  and  his  corwpany  are  the 
only  ones  who  have  ever  yet  received  a  dime  for  their 
services  in  this  disastrous  war.'''' 

Besides  the  Snoqualmie  Falls,  there  are  hundreds  of 
others  of  various  heights,  and  all  worthy  the  attention 
of  the  tourist ;  but,  as  I  have  not  received  any  descrip- 
tion except  the  one  just  related  by  Captain  Anderson,  I 
am  unable  to  give  any  more  particular  account. 

The  climate,  which  has  already  been  alluded  to,  is  sim- 
ilar to  that  of  Oregon,  with  some  variations  caused  by 
difference  of  latitude  and  local  peculiarities.  It  is,  how- 
ever, in  all  parts  of  the  Territory,  much  milder  than  in  the 
same  parallels  of  latitude  east  of  the  Rocky  Mountains. 

The  soil  of  all  the  prairie  lands,  with  the  exception  of 
those  directly  around  Puget  Sound,  is  exceedingly  fer- 
tile. Those  of  the  Sound  are  of  a  sandy,  gravelly  na- 
ture, not  readily  cultivated,  but  producing  enormous  fir 
and  cedar  trees.  The  soil  on  the  mountains,  wherever  I 
have  seen  any  attempt  at  a  clearing,  is  generally  very 
rich ;  but  the  dense  growth  of  forest  deters  the  emigrant 
from  attempting  clearings  on  a  large  extent,  as  the  fine, 
fertile  plains  and  prairie  offer  far  greater  inducements. 
Fruit  of  various  kinds,  particularly  apples,  can  be  culti- 
vated very  readily,  and  in  the  greatest  perfection.  In- 
dian-corn does  not  thrive  well,  as  the  seasons  are  not  hot 
enough ;  but  wheat,  barley,  oats,  and  potatoes  yield  the 
most  abundant  crops,  of  the  finest  quality.  The  pota- 
toes, in  particular,  are  the  best  I  have  ever  met  with  in 
any  part  of  the  world.  The  wheat  grown  on  the  Colum- 
bia, called  Oregon  wheat,  is  too  well  known  for  its  supe- 
rior excellence  to  need  further  remark  at  this  time. 

Although  the  Territory  is  a  very  mountainous  country, 
yet  there  are  many  immense  plains  and  prairies ;  and,  by 
reference  to  the  map,  it  will  be  seen  that  innumerable 


i'' 


fe 


■f«i 


398 


THE  NORTHWEST  COAST;   OB, 


streams,  like  veins,  permeate  the  whole  region,  and  each 
of  them,  from  the  largest  to  the  smallest,  flows  in  its 
course  through  rich  and  fertile  plains,  of  various  sizes, 
lying  between  the  mountains.  Governor  Stevens,  in 
tfanuary,  1854,  writing  of  the  Territory,  says  of  the  wa- 
ters of  Puget  Sound,  and  the  adjacent  ones  of  Hood's 
Canal,  Admiralty  Inlet,  and  Fuca  Straits,  "that  their 
maritime  advantages  are  very  great,  in  affording  a  series 
of  harbors  almost  unequaled  in  the  world  for  capacity, 
safety,  and  facility  of  access,  and  they  are  in  the  im- 
mediate neighborhood  to  what  are  now  the  best  whaling 
grounds  of  the  Pacific.  That  portion  of  Washington 
Territory  lying  between  the  Cascade  Mountains  and  the 
ocean,  although  equaling,  in  richness  of  soil  and  ease 
of  transportation,  the  best  lands  of  Oregon,  is  heavily 
timbered,  and  time  and  labor  are  required  for  clearing  its 
forests  and  opening  the  earth  to  the  production  of  its 
fruits.  The  great  body  of  the  country,  on  the  other 
hand,  stretching  eastward  from  that  range  to  the  Rocky 
Mountains,  while  it  contains  many  fertile  valleys  and 
much  land  suitable  to  the  farmer,  is  yet  more  especially 
a  grazing  country — one  which,  as  its  population  increases, 
promises,  in  its  cattle,  its  horses,  and,  above  all,  its  wool, 
to  open  a  vast  field  to  American  enterprise.  But,  in  the 
mean  time,  the  staple  of  the  land  must  continue  to  be  the 
one  which  Nature  herself  has  planted,  in  the  inexhaustible 
forests  of  fir,  of  spruce,  and  of  cedar.  Either  in  furnish- 
ing manufactured  timber,  or  spars  of  the  first  description 
for  vessels,  Washington  Territory  is  unsurpassed  by  any 
portion  of  the  Pacific  coast." 

Washington  Territory  abounds  in  fine  timber,  and  the 
enormous  growth  of  its  spruce  and  fir  excites  the  admi- 
ration of  every  one  who  sees  them.  The  trees  in  the 
region  about  Puget  Sound  are  especially  large,  compris- 
ing the  spruce,  hemlock,  yew,  cedar,  fir,  oak,  ash,  maple, 


THREE  TEARS  AT  SHOAL-WATER  BAY. 


399 


and  alder.  There  are  now  about  thirty-seven  saw-mills 
in  the  Territory,  the  largest  of  which  is  that  of  Pope, 
Talbot  &  Co.,  under  charge  of  Captain  J.  P.  Kellar,  at 
Teekalet  (Port  Gamble),  on  Hood's  Canal.  The  inter- 
nal improvements  of  Washington  Territory  are  progress- 
ing as  fast  as  can  be  expected  in  a  new  and  sparsely- 
populated  country,  situate  so  remote  from  the  general 
government.  In  1853,  Governor  Isaac  I.  Stevens,  the 
first  governor  of  the  Territory,  surveyed  a  route  for  a 
Northern  Pacific  Rail-road,  and  discovered  a  pass  near 
the  sources  of  Maria's  River  suitable  for  a  rail-road, 
estimated  to  be  2500  feet  lower  than  the  south  pass  of 
Fremont.  It  is  generally  admitted  that  Governor  Ste- 
vens's route  is  the  best  one  for  a  rail-road  that  has  yet 
been  discovered,  although  the  great,  and,  in  fact,  the  prin- 
cipal objection  urged  against  it  is  that  it  is  too  far  north, 
and,  consequently,  will  not  suit  the  views  nor  accommo- 
date the  inhabitants  of  the  more  southern  states  and 
California. 

Colonel  J.  P.  Anderson,  to  whom  I  am  under  great  ob- 
ligation for  valuable  information,  writes  me  from  Wash- 
ington City,  January  30th,  1857,  as  follows:  "In  Feb- 
ruary or  March,  1853,  Congress  made  an  appropriation 
of  $25,000  to  construct  a  military  road  from  Fort  Stei- 
lacoom  to  Walla  Walla,  over  and  across  the  Cascade 
Mountains.  Captain  George  B.  M'Clellan  (late  of  the 
Crimean  Commission,  now  resigned)  was  charged  with 
the  work,  in  connection  with  the  survey  of  that  region 
for  the  Northern  Pacific  Rail-road. 

"He  assigned  Lieutenant  Arnold  to  the  immediate 
duty  of  superintending  in  person  the  construction  of  the 
road.  However,  before  the  government  officers  com- 
menced this  work,  while  they  were  getting  ready,  the 
citizens  of  Thurston  and  Pierce  Counties,  knowing  the 
necessity  of  getting  a  road  over  the  mountains  that 


m 


400 


THE  NORTHWEST  COAST;   OR, 


I- 


summer  (1853),  in  order  to  accommodate  the  expected 
'emigrants  in  the  fall,  set  to  work,  raised  private  sub- 
scriptions, and  put  on  a  strong  force  to  look  out  a  prac- 
ticable pass  and  make  a  wagon-road. 

"  This  company  of  citizens  marked  out  the  road,  and  so 
opened  it  as  to  admit  of  travel  by  pack-animals  all  the 
way,  and  wagons  a  great  part  of  the  way,  before  the  gov- 
ernment officers  arrived.  Then  Captain  M*Clellan,  with 
that  good  judgment  and  liberality  for  which  he  was  dis- 
tinguished, adopted  the  citizens'  road  almost  entirely, 
reimbursed  them  out  of  the  appropriation  for  much  of 
the  work  they  had  done,  and  spent  the  balance  of  the 
$25,000  very  judiciously  in  making  a  good  wagon-road 
over  the  mountains.  -    \ 

"There  was  about  $8000  worth  of  work  done  by  tlEie 
citizens  which  Captain  M'Clellan  could  not  pay  for,  but  for 
which  I  have  at  this  Congress  (January,  1867)  procured 
an  appropriation  (on  his  recommendation) ;  also  $10,000 
more  to  finish  the  road.  I  have  also  an  appropriation 
of  $45,000  for  a  road  from  Fort  Steilacoom  to  Belling- 
ham's  Bay ;  also  $35,000  for  one  from  the  mouth  of  the 
Columbia  River  to  Fort  Steilacoom,  both  of  which  have 
passed  the  House,  and  only  wait  the  action  of  the  Sen- 
ate, which,  I  doubt  not,  will  be  favorable ;  also  an  addi- 
tional appropriation  to  complete  the  road  from  Fort  Van- 
couver to  Steilacoom.  When  these  are  completed,  you 
will  be  able  to  see  their  importance,  all  radiating  from 
Fort  Steilacoom,  which  is  about  the  centre  of  the  popu- 
lation." 

During  the  Congress  of  1854,  the  Honorable  Colum- 
bia Lancaster,  the  then  delegate  from  Washington  Terri- 
tory, procured,  among  other  appropriations,  one  for  plac- 
ing buoys  to  mark  the  channel  to  Shoal-water  Bay,  and 
another  to  erect  a  light-house  at  Cape  Shoal-water,  which, 
however,  has  not,  as  yet,  been  done.     There  is  a  light- 


THREE  TEARS  AT  SHOAL-WATER  BAY. 


401 


house  on  Cape  Disappointment  in  operation,  but,  with 
this  exception,  there  is  no  other  one  at  present  in  the 
Territory,  though  many  are  needed. 

Besides  the  military  road  already  mentioned,  there  are 
various  County  and  Territorial  roads,  the  principal  of 
which  is  the  Cowlitz,  leading  from  the  Cowlitz  Landing 
to  Olympia,  a  distance  of  about  fifty  miles.  This  road 
is  the  principal  mail-route. 

The  population  of  the  Territory  is  composed  of  whites 
and  Indians,  and  of  the  latter,  the  census  taken  by  Gov- 
ernor Stevens  in  1854  gives  a  total  of  7559.  Of  the 
whites  I  have  no  recent  reliable  statistics. 

Colonel  Anderson,  while  Marshal  of  the  Territory,  took 
the  first  census,  and  finished  in  November,  1853,  at  which 
time  he  reported  to  the  governor  that  the  white  popula- 
tion of  the  Territory  was  3965,  which  would  make  the 
whole  number  of  whites  and  Indians  11,524.  Since 
that  time  there  has  been  no  official  census  taken,  but  the 
present  white  population  has  been  estimated  at  about 
8000,  and  the  Indian  at  about  7400,  which  estimate  is 
probably  nearly  correct.  .,i 

The  first  Federal  officer  who  reached  the  Territory 
after  its  separation  from  Oregon  was  the  United  States 
Marshal,  Colonel  J.  Patton  Anderson,  who  arrived  at 
Olympia  ojj  the  evening  of  the  3d  of  July,  1853,  and 
proceeded  at  once  to  take  the  census.  Governor  Ste- 
vens arrived  in  the  Territory  about  November  of  the 
same  year,  and  immediately  issued  his  proclamation  for 
an  election  of  members  of  both  houses  of  the  Legisla- 
ture, and  assigned  the  three  judges.  Lander,  Munroe,  and 
M'Fadden,  their  several  districts. 

The  first  court  was  held  at  Cowlitz  Landing,  in  Lewis 
County,  on  the  first  Monday  in  January,  1854,  and  the 
first  Legislature  met  the  last  of  the  same  month  at  Olym- 
pia, and  elected  Seth  Catlin  President  of  the  Council, 


i'*; 


,'1  'fai 


1  ■'  ■* 


402 


THE  NORTHWEST  COAST;    OR, 


I 

3 

U 

I: 


''•\\ 


■ijit 


i 


r-: 


F!  I  <'^  ■ 


I    ; 


and  F.  A.  Chenowith  Speaker  of  the  House.  The  Hon- 
orable Columbia  Lancaster  was  the  first  delegate  sent 
from  the  Territory  to  Congress,  and  was  succeeded  by 
Honorable  J.  Patton  Anderson.  Both  these  gentlemen 
have  exerted  themselves  with  success  for  the  good  of 
their  constituents  while  in  Congress,  and  have  ably  as- 
sisted the  governor  in  all  his  measures  for  the  good  of 
the  Territory ;  and  the  present  rapid  increase  of  Wash- 
ington, and  its  many  inducements  to  encourage  emigra- 
tion, contrasting  so  favorably  with  some  of  our  other  ter- 
ritories, show  skill  and  good  management  on  the  part  of 
the  executive  and  delegates,  and  the  good  sense  of  the 
local  population. 

To  the  emigrant  Washington  Territory  presents  great 
attraction.  The  great  diversity  of  its  surface,  whetlier 
mountain,  valley,  or  plain,  gives  prospect  of  success  to  the 
farmer,  the  grazier,  and  the  lumberman ;  and  its  numer- 
ous and  inexhaustible  mines  of  bituminous  coal,  its  quar- 
ries of  marble  and  sandstone,  its  rich  gold  and  lead  depos- 
its, and  its  unrivaled  water  privileges  offer  great  induce- 
ments to  the  capitalist,  whether  as  manufacturer,  trader, 
or  ship-owner. 

There  is  no  state  in  the  Union  that  has  so  vast  a  com- 
munication by  water  as  Washington  Territory — the  Co- 
lumbia River  on  its  south,  the  Pacific  on  the  west,  and 
the  Straits  of  Fuca,  Hood's  Canal,  Admiralty  Inlet,  and 
Puget  Sound  on  the  north.  There  is  not  a  safer  en- 
trance from  the  ocean  in  the  world  than  Fuca  Straits; 
and  the  deep  waters  that  flow  through  the  whole  of  the 
inlets,  bays,  and  sounds  enable  ships  of  the  largest  class 
readily  to  approach  Olympia,  the  seat  of  government,  at 
the  head  of  Budd's  Inlet,  Puget  Sound.  For  a  whaling 
station,  the  harbors  and  bays  of  the  Straits  of  Fuca  pre- 
sent remarkable  advantages  for  ships,  while  for  vessels 
of  smaller  size  Shoal- water  Bay  can  not  be  surpassed.. 


THREE  TEAKS  AT  SHOAL-WATER  BAY. 


403 


By  reference  to  Maury's  Whaling  Chart  of  the  Pacific, 
it  will  be  seen  that  Washington  Territory  lies  directly  in 
the  latitude  of  the  present  whaling  grounds,  and  vessels 
can  be  sent  to  sea  either  from  Shoal-water  Bay  or  Fuca 
Straits,  and  reach  the  cruising  ground  easier  and  quick- 
er than  from  any  other  place.  All  that  the  Territory 
now  wants  are  men  and  means.  To  bring  the  first  will 
be  easy  when  we  have  the  wagon-road  completed  for 
which  an  appropriation  hes  just  been  made  by  Congress. 
We  do  not  ask  for,  neither  do  we  require,  a  rail-road  at 
present.  Let  the  wagon-road  first  be  built,  with  a  view 
of  hereafter  being  used,  as  far  as  practicable,  as  a  rail- 
road, and  as  soon  as  the  population  increases  enough  to 
demand  it,  there  will  be  no  difficulty  in  laying  down  rails 
and  running  engines.*  The  present  difficulties  in  China 
between  the  authorities  of  that  country  and  the  English, 
Americans,  and  French,  and  the  recent  commercial  ad- 

♦  Wagon-road  from  Fort  Kearney  to  California. — The  following  is  a 
copy  of  the  act  passed  at  the  late  session  of  Congress  to  construct  a 
wagon-road  from  Fort  Kearney  to  California : 

"  Be  it  enacted^  That  the  sum  of  $300,000,  or  as  much  thereof  as  may 
be  necessary,  be,  and  the  same  is  hereby  appropriated,  out  of  any  mon- 
eys not  otherwise  appropriated,  for  the  construction  of  a  wagon-road 
from  Fort  Kearney,  in  the  Territory  of  Nebraska,  nia  the  South  Pass  of 
the  Rocky  Mountains,  to  the  eastern  boundary  of  the  State  of  Califor- 
nia, near  Honey  Lake ;  to  be  expended  under  the  direction  of  the  Sec- 
retary of  the  Interior,  pursuant  to  contracts  to  be  made  by  him ;  said 
road  to  connect  with  and  form  an  extension  of  the  road  already  author- 
ized from  Fort  Ridgely  to  the  aforesaid  South  Pass. 

Sec.  2.  That  the  sum  of  $200,000,  or  as  much  thereof  as  may  be 
necessary,  be,  and  the  same  is  hereby  appropriated,  out  of  any  moneys 
in  the  treasury  not  otherwise  appropriated,  for  the  construction  of  a 
wagon-road  from  El  Paso,  on  the  Rio  Grande,  to  Fort  Yuma,  on  the 
mouth  of  the  Gila  River ;  to  be  expended  by  the  Secretary  of  the  Inte- 
rior, pursuant  to  contracts  to  be  made  by  him. 

Sec.  3.  That  the  sum  of  $50,000  be,  and  the  same  is  hereby  appro- 
priated, out  of  any  moneys  in  the  treasury  not  otherwise  appropriated, 
for  the  construction  of  a  wagon-road  from  Fort  Defiance,  in  the  Terri- 
tory of  New  Mexico,  to  the  Colorado  River,  near  the  mouth  of  the  Mo- 
hane  River. 


;-i-i 


^I'i 


'■'  I 


404 


THE  NORTHWEST  COAST;  OR, 


ili  ' 


r 

'  1 

1 

1 

>; 

' 

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\ 

1 

vantages  obtained  in  China  hy  the  Russians,  seem  to  in- 
dicate that,  unless  some  speedy  reconciliation  takes  place, 
Russia  will  obtain  control  of  a  large  portion  of  the  tea 
trade.  Already  tea  has  been  shipped  to  England  from 
St.  Petersburg,  and  we  may  expect  that  it  will  not  be 
long  before  an  export  trade  will  be  opened  between  the 
Russians  and  Americans  from  the  River  Amoor.  A  trade 
between  San  Francisco  and  that  river  has  alread}/  open- 
ed ;  but  it  will  be  seen,  by  reference  to  any  chart  of  the 
Pacific,  what  great  advantages  Washington  Territory  and 
the  Columbia  River  possess  over  all  other  places  for  that 
trade. 

The  mouth  of  the  Amoor  is  at  the  head  of  the  Gulf 
of  Tartary,  and  lies  in  about  lat.  53°  north,  and  Ion.  140° 
east.  The  entrance  to  Fuca  Straits  lies  in  lat.  48°  3(y 
north,  and  Ion.  124°  30''  west — a  difference  in  latitude  of 
only  270  miles,  and  distant  4000  miles.  This  shows  the 
great  advantage  in  point  of  distance;  for,  while  the  Straits 
of  Fuca  are  about  10  degrees  farther  north  than  Han  Fran- 
cisco, they  have  a  still  farther  advantage  of  being  to  the 
windward ;  and  when  it  is  recollected  that  for  the  prin- 
cipal part  of  the  year  the  prevailing  wind  is  from  the 
northwest,  the  point  of  advantage  can  readily  be  seen. 
The  Amoor  River  is  the  largest  stream  flowing  into  the 
Pacific  from  the  western  side  ;  it  is  navigable  for  boats 
to  Nertchinsk,  which  is  said  to  be  1700  miles  from  its 
mouth.  Already  the  Russians  have  strongly  fortified 
the  entrance,  and  there  is  no  doubt  that  a  large  city  will 
soon  be  built  upon  its  shores.  "    •^!   - 

One  great  objection  urged  against  Washington  Terri- 
tory by  persons  desirous  to  emigrate  is,  that  it  must, 
from  its  high  latitude,  be  excessively  cold ;  that  it  is  as 
bleak  and  barren  as  the  shores  of  the  Atlantic  in  the 
same  parallel.  But  such  is  not  the  fact.  It  has  already 
been  shown  tliat  the  whole  Pacific  region  is  much  warm- 


THKEE  YEARS  AT  SHOAL-WATER  BAY. 


405 


■  im 


er  than  corresponding  points  on  the  Atlantic,  and  that 
there  are  never  the  sudden  and  excessive  changes  of  cli- 
mate so  often  experienced  east  of  the  Bocky  Mountains. 
In  addition  to  instances  already  cited  of  its  mildness  and 
the  early  spring,  Vancouver  writes  that  in  May,  1792, 
on  landing  near  New  Dungeness,  '*  our  attention  was  im- 
mediately called  to  a  landscape  almost  as  enchantingly 
beautiful  as  the  most  elegant  finished  pleasure-grounds 
in  Europe.  The  country  presented  nearly  a  horizontal 
surface,  interspersed  with  some  inequalities  of  ground, 
which  produced  a  beautiful  variety  of  extensive  lawn, 
covered  with  luxuriant  grass,  and  diversified  with  an 
abundance  of  flowers.  While  we  stopped  to  contem- 
plate these  several  beauties  of  nature  in  a  prospect  no 
less  pleasing  than  unexpected,  we  gathered  some  goose- 
berries and  roses  in  a  considerable  state  of  forwardness." 
At  another  point,  farther  along  the  Strait,  he  remarks, 
"  The  ground  was  covered  with  a  coarse  spiry  grass,  in- 
terspersed with  strawberries,  two  or  three  species  of  clo- 
ver, samphire,  and  a  great  variety  of  other  plants,  some 
of  which  bore  the  most  beautiful  flowers.  On  a  few  of 
the  points  were  shrubs  that  seemed  to  thrive  excessive- 
ly, such  as  roses,  a  species  of  sweetbrier,  gooseberries, 
raspberries,  currants,  and  several  other  smaller  bushes, 
which,  in  their  respective  seasons,  produce,  most  proba- 
bly, the  several  fruits  common  to  this  and  the  opposite 
side  of  America.  These  all  appeared  to  grow  very  lux- 
uriantly, and,  from  the  quantity  of  blossoms  with  which 
they  were  loaded,  there  was  great  reason  to  believe  them 
very  productive." 

That  Vancouver  was  correct  in  his  belief  as  to  the  pro- 
duction of  fruit  I  can  testify  from  personal  experience. 
I  never  have  seen  any  where  such  great  quantities  of  the 
fruits  he  has  enumerated,  or  of  so  excellent  a  quality,  as 
in  Washington  Territory.    William  Tufts,  Esq.,  of  Bos- 


!l|.:. 


r.^k 


I !  f ' 


406 


THE   NORTHWEST   COAST;     On, 


1 

l!!  1 

'            i 

'  1 

■I  ■  i 


1        1 


!    ■!  / 


ton,  to  whom  I  am  indebted  for  compiling  the  interest- 
ing and  very  valuable  list  of  vessels  trading  on  the  North- 
west Coast,  which  may  be  found  in  the  Appendix,  and 
who  was  on  the  Coast  as  supercargo  of  tlie  ship  Guati- 
mozin,  of  Boston,  in  1807-8,  writes  me  from  Boston, 
February  6th,  1857,  that  he  was  on  the  Coast  for  eight- 
een months,  from  the  20th  of  March,  1806,  to  the  24th 
of  September,  1808.  During  that  time  their  trading  ex- 
tended from  the  Columbia,  in  latitude  46°  north,  to  about 
69°  30'  south,  but  most  of  the  time  was  passed  between 
latitude  54°  to  57°.  The  weather  during  the  eighteen 
months  was  mild,  but  with  abundance  of  rain  during  the 
winter  months,  and  but  little  snow.  While  in  the  lati- 
tude of  56°  north,  during  the  winter,  they  experienped 
the  coldest  weather,  which  lasted  but  a  few  daySf  and 
during  that  time  the  wind  was  north-northeast. 

Mr.  Tufts  also  adds,  what  may  be  here  inserted  as 
corroborating  my  former  statement  of  the  size  of  tlie 
salmoli  in  the  Columbia,  "  I  was  in  the  Columbia  River 
from  about  the  first  to  the  middle  of  July,  1807.  Our 
dinner  on  the  4th  of  July  was  roast  moose  and  boiled 
salmon.  We  attempted  to  smoke  a  dozen  or  two  of  the 
salmon  purchased  at  that  time.  The  largest  weighed 
about  75  pounds,  and  the  whole  averaged  not  far  from 
60  nounds  each." 

Mr.  Tufts  also  procured,  at  the  same  time,  a  medal 
given  to  the  Indians  by  Lewis  and  Clarke.  It  was  of 
pewter,  and  with  the  inscriptions  upon  it  shown  in  the 
following  cut. 

But  enough  has  been  already  adduced  from  the  writ- 
ings of  the  early  navigators  on  the  Pacific  coast,  from 
the  times  of  Meares,  Vancouver,  and  Gray,  in  1789  and 
1792,  to  the  time  of  my  personal  experience,  from  1852 
to  1855,  to  show  that  not  only  is  the  climate  far  prefer- 
able to  that  of  the  Northeast  Coast  of  America,  but  that 


THREE   YEARS  AT  SHOAL-WATER  BAT. 


407 


the  natural  products  of  tlie  country  are  in  such  profusion 
as  to  render  the  Territory  a  desirable  place  of  abode. 

For  persons  desirous  of  emigrating  to  Washington  Ter- 
ritory, the  routes  either  by  land  or  water  can  be  select- 
ed. By  water,  the  most  expeditious  is  to  cross  the  Isth- 
mus of  Panama,  and  proceed  to  San  Francisco,  where 
passage  can  be  obtained  for  the  Columbia  River  direct, 
eitlier  in  the  regular  mail  steamers,  or  by  the  numerous 
sailing  vessels  constantly  plying  between  the  two  ports, 
or  by  sailing  vessels  bound  either  to  Shoal-water  Bay, 
or  any  of  the  numerous  ports  on  Fuca  Straits,  cr  the 
other  waters  bounding  the  northwest  section  of  the  Ter- 
ritory. 

The  overland  route  would  be  to  take  any  of  the  old 
and  approved  roads  till  the  Columbia  is  reached  at  Fort 
Walla  Walla,  and  from  thence  the  military  road  can  be 
taken  either  to  Fort  Steilacoom  or  Olympia,  the  seat  of 
government,  or  the  various  settlements  about  Puget 
Sound.  The  Territory  only  needs  men  and  capital  to 
insure  its  being  one  of  the  most  thrifty  of  our  posses- 
sions, and  when  its  value  is  more  generally  appreciated, 
we  may  expect  to  see  as  rapid  an  increase  in  the  popu- 
lation as  ever  California  had  in  its  palmiest  days. 


^.i 


»ik 


m 


/ 


# 


1  i 

t     ! 


H-i 


■<i 


t-; 


-;* 


%  i" 


I  ■ 

it 


'  I 


■!- 


408 


THE  NORTHWEST  COAST;   OB, 


NOTE. 

The  followin<i'  letter  from  Hon.  J.  P.  Anderson  rela- 
tive to  the  overland  route  to  Washington  Territory  may- 
be considered  as  giving  the  most  reliable  information  to 
emigrants.  Colonel  Anderson  writes  from  personal  ex- 
perience. 

» 

«*  Washington  City,  Feb.  19, 1857. 

"  Dear  Swan, — Yours  of  the  16th  reached  me  in  due 
time. 

"Emigrants  to  Puget  Sound  ought  to  leave  Fort 
Leavenworth  or  Council  Bluffs  between  the  20th  of  April 
and  the  15th  of  May,  cross  the  Rocky  Mountains  ui  the 
South  Pass,  proceed  by  Forts  Hall  and  Boise  to  the 
Grand  Ronde,  thence  on  to  Walla  Walla.  There  is  a 
road  all  the  way.  The  distance  to  Walla  Walla  is  some- 
thing like  2200  miles.  Thence  to  the  Sound,  by  the 
military  road  over  the  Cascade  Mountains,  through  the 
Wachess  Pass,  is  210  miles.  From  Walla  Walla,  or, 
rather.  Whitman's  Old  Mission,  thirty  miles  this  cide 
(east)  of  Walla  Walla,  those  who  desire  to  go  down  the 
Columbia  River,  say  to  Vancouver,  Portland,  Astoria, 
etc.,  should  turn  off  to  the  left,  taking  the  Indian  Agency 
on  the  Umatilla  and  Fort  Henrietta  in  their  way  to  the 
Dalles. 

"  This  is  on  the  old  established  emigrant  road.  It 
is  a  plam  wagon-way  from  Missouri  to  Walla  Walla. 
It  leaves  the  California  road  in  the  vicinity  of  the  Soda 
Springs,  on  the  west  side  of  the  Rocky  Mountains. 
Emigrants  ought  to  buy  Walker's  (or  some  other)  Guide- 


s, 


THREE   YEABS   AT   SHOAL-WATER   BAY. 


409 


A.nderson  rela- 
Territory  may 
information  to 
m  personal  ex- 


Y,  Feb.  19, 1857. 

3hed  me  in  due 

to  leave  Fort 

e  20th  of  April 

)untains  ut  the 

Boise  to  the 

There  is  a 

^alla  is  some- 

SoUnd,  by  the 

i,  through  the 

la  Walla,  or, 

liles  this  cide 

go  down  the 

and,  Astoria, 

ndian  Agency 

ir  way  to  the 


I. 


book  before  leaving  the  Missouri  River,  for  the  purpose 
of  learning  where  the  best  water  and  grass  are  to  be 
found.  Dozens  of  these  Guide-books  are  to  be  bought 
any  where  on  the  frontier.  After  the  first  few  days  out, 
they  ought  to  guard  their  stock  every  night.  Indians 
will  steal  them  unless  they  are  watched  closely.  As 
soon  as  the  novelty  wears  off,  emigrants  are  too  apt  to 
become  careless,  thinking  there  is  no  danger,  dixAjust 
then  their  cattle  are  stolen,  and  they  are  left  afoot. 
Hence  nearly  all  of  the  suffering  on  the  Plains.  They 
are  always  in  too  great  a  hurry.  If  an  ox  gets  lame  or 
a  little  sick,  they  will  turn  him  out  and  leave  him  rather 
than  be  detained  half  a  day.  This  should  not  be  done. 
They  ought  to  wait  and  watch  him  till  he  gets  well. 
Stop  the  whole  train ;  let  no  one  stay  behind  to  bring 
him  up. 

"  In  haste,  yours  truly, 

"  J.  Patton  Anderson." 
S 


■■'  'ill! 


!!   IJ! 


I  it"    Si! 


I 

I 


ant  road.  It 
/Valla  Walla. 
T  of  the  Soda 
Mountains, 
other)  Guide- 


APPENDII 


I! 


iiii!  :^ 


The  following  extracts  from  the  treaty  between  the  United  States 
and  Great  Britain,  relative  to  the  limits  of  the  territory  west  of  the 
Rocky  Mountains,  and  in  reference  to  the  rights  of  the  Hudson  Bay 
Company,  will  show  that,  while  the  United  States  government  recognize 
the  claims  of  the  Hudson  Bay  Company  as  actual  settlers,  they  do  not 
agree  to  pay  the  Company  any  sum  to  extinguish  their  title  to  lands, 
except  in  case  any  of  such  land  should  become  of  public  and  political 
importance. 

The  extracts  from  the  Donation  law,  and  also  of  the  present  law  of 
the  Territory  relative  to  the  purchase  of  land,  will  show  the  inducements 
held  out  to  emigrants  by  the  government,  and  also  the  method  to  be 
adopted  at  present  to  purchase  land.  It  will  be  seen  that  at  present 
the  donation  law  has  ceased,  but  any  person  can  purchase  surveyed 
lands  for  one  dollar  and  twenty-five  cents  per  acre. 

Extract  from  Treaty  between  the  United  States  and  Great  Britain  of 
Lands  westward  of  the  Rocky  Mountains.     Concluded  June  15<A,1846. 

Art.  hi.  In  the  future  appropriation  of  the  territory  south  of  the 
forty-ninth  parallel  of  north  latitude,  as  provided  in  the  first  article  of 
this  treaty,  the  possessory  rights  of  the  Hudson  Bay  Company,  and  of 
all  British  subjects  who  may  be  already  in  occupation  of  land  or  other 
property  lawfully  acquired,  within  said  territory,  shall  be  respected. 

Abt.  IV.  The  farms,  lands,  and  other  property  of  every  description, 
belonging  to  the  Puget  Sound  Agricultural  Company,  on  the  north  side 
of  the  Columbia  River,  shall  be  confirmed  to  the  said  Company.  la 
case,  however,  the  situation  of  those  farms  and  lands  should  be  consid- 
ered by  the  United  States  to  be  of  public  and  political  importance,  and 
the  United  States  government  should  signify  a  desire  to  obtain  posses- 
sion of  the  whole  or  any  part  thereof,  the  property  so  required  shall 
be  transferred  to  the  said  government  at  a  proper  valuation,  to  be  agreed 
upon  between  the  parties. 

Donation  Act  of  September  27fA,  1850. 

Sec.  4.  And  be  it  further  enacted,  That  there  shall  be,  and  hereby  is, 
granted  to  every  white  settler  or  occupant  of  public  lands,  American 
half-breeds  included,  above  the  age  of  eighteen  years,  being  a  citizen  of 
the  United  States,  or  having  made  a  declaration  on  or  before  the  first 
day  of  December,  eighteen  hundred  and  fifty-one,  now  residing,  in  the 


V,        ;'l 


i.ii  K 


I:?;    ISil 


1$ 


•HI 
JH 


mil' 


til^'rV! 


-t! 


412 


APPENDIX. 


m  I. 


i    1, 


1 


1  I 


Territorj',  or  who  shall  become  a  resident  before  the  said  first  of  De- 
cember, 1851,  and  who  shall  have  resided  on  and  cultivated  the  same 
for  four  consecutive  years,  and  shall  otherwise  conform  to  the  provisions 
of  this  act,  the  quantity  of  one  half  section,  or  three  hundred  and  twen- 
ty acres  of  land,  if  a  single  man ;  and  if  a  married  man,  or  if  he  shall 
become  married  within  one  year  from  the  first  day  of  December,  1850, 
the  quantity  of  one  section,  or  six  hundred  and  forty  acres,  one  half  to 
himself  and  the  other  half  to  his  wife,  to  be  held  by  her  in  her  own 
right ;  and  the  surveyor  shall  designate  the  part  enuring  to  the  husband 
and  that  to  the  wife,  and  enter  the  same  on  the  records  of  his  office. 

Sec.  5.  Grants  to  all  persons,  as  mentioned  in  the  previous  act,  who 
arrive  in  the  Territory  to  settle  between  December  1st,  1850,  and  De- 
cember, 1853,  to  a  single  man,  one  quarter  section,  or  120  acres  of  land; 
and  to  a  married  man,  320  acres  of  land. 

Donation  Act  of  February  lith,  1853. 

Sec.  1.  Provides  that  persons  may  be  permitted,  after  occupation  for 
two  years  of  land,  to  purchase  the  same  at  one  dollar  and  twenty-five 
cents  per  acre. 

Sec.  3.  Limits  the  Donation  Act  to  December  1st,  1855,  at  which 
time  all  persons  must  file  notices  of  claims. 

Since  that  period,  any  actual  settler  can  purchase  the  land  on  which  his 
claim  is  located,  provided  the  land  has  been  surveyed,  at  the  rates  mentioned 
in  Section  First. 

The  organic  act  by  which  Washington  was  created  a  separate  Terri- 
tory from  Oregon  was  passed  March  2,  1853.  Among  the  first  acts 
passed  by  the  Territory  of  Washington  was  one  for  the  preservation  of 
oysters  and  other  shell-fish,  as  Washington  Territory  is  the  only  place 
from  whence  the  supply  of  oysteid  is  procured  for  the  California  market. 

^inother  early  act  was  to  appoint  pilot  commissioners  to  select  pilots 
for  the  Columbia  Biver  and  Shoal-water  Bay. 


^,| 


A  VocABuuatT  OF  the  Chehalis  and  Chenook  OB  Jargon  Lan- 
guages, WITH  THE  DeBIVATION  OF  THE  WOBDS  USED  IN  THB 
LATTEB. 

Chehalis. 
A. 
Aiilsh,  to-morrow. 
Ait'chote,  a  bear. 
A-quail'shiltl,  north  wind. 
Ar'yuk,  small  clams. 

0. 

Cam'mass,  the  edible  root  of  the  Car^ar,  girl, 
Cammassia  esculenta.  Car'koo,  female  infant. 


Aas'ah-wah,  gi*"^  it. 
Aas'ah-wah  kahl',  get  water. 
Aas-er,  come, 
Aas-er-le,  come  quickly. 


■■'4r 


APPENDIX. 


413 


Car'mox,  dog, 
Che-cose',  mussels. 
Che-poo'chucks,  beard. 
Chettiow,  oysters. 
Chesp,  neck. 
Chutl,  three. 

Cla-ath'a-lum,  east  wind. 
Cla'koo,  snow. 
Clalcoon,  good. 
Cla-wilmsh',  Indian. 


Clo'lum,  quahaug  clam. 

Clunge,  mouth. 

Co'lish,  how  are  you  —  a  salutation 

on  meeting. 
Co-mailth',  daughter. 
Con-nath  in-nis-ku,  an  expression 

of  derision. 
Cuck'ko,  a  small  viviparous  fish  like 

the  perch. 
Cu-shu',  hog. 

D. 


Der-chee'to-che-ny,  humming-bird. 

E.  • 


Eath'wil-ly,  flesh. 
E-kap'pa,  hail. 


E-Iip,  first. 
El-le-caid',  slave. 


H. 

Haslitch,  liver.  Hu-litn',  make. 

Hone'gin,  an  expression  of  impa-  Hur-leit'za,  stop,  be  quiet, 
tience.  Hur-sache',  bad. 


■'•si 


''   i 


AROOM   LaK- 
USED    IN    THE 


Jo'quitl,  get  up.  Jo'quitl  po-ko'ge-pah  whid'tuck,  get 

Jo'quitl  omtz  ta  kahl,  get  up  and      up  and  make  a  fire,  quick, 
give  me  water. 


Kae'poor,  needle. 
Kaerliucli,  crab. 
Eaer-ox'o,  crooked  nose. 


E. 

Eahl,  water. 
Ela'koon,  good. 

L. 

Le-Torelitch,  bottle. 

M. 

Mailte,  no.  Mitch-ip,  fire. 

Me-tar'  or   sme-tar',  large  sea-  Mock'sa,  nose, 
clams.  Moo'ser,  eyes. 

Mis'chin,  lice.  Mose,  four. 


Nar-whatr,  yea. 


N. 
Nookh',  700. 


!|!1  f 


w 


414 


APPENDIX. 


■!U 


n 


't- 


Oh-whitl',  another. 
Omtz,  give. 


Par'nich,  ten. 
Fe'cose,  freckled. 


Quac'a-chose,  forehead. 
Qua-ho'no-)sh,  finger. 
Queer'hos,  to  strike,  to  wound. 
Quer-lo'e-chintl,  bear-berry  (Ar- 
butus uva  ursi).    • 


Saer'tich,  six. 

Sak-tolm,  paddle. 

Sarctl,  the  reply  to  Co'lish,  as 

Co'lish  te,  How  do  you  do? 

Sarctl,  Thank  you,  very  well. 
Sartl,  two. 
Schoh,  old  man. 
Schoue,  ice.  •         • 

Se-cartr,  spruce-tree. 
She-ee'sinch,  shritnp. 
She-o'quintl,  cedar. 
Shooks'quitl,  to-day. 
Shug'war,  get  out  of  the  way,  move 

along. 
Skaer'kut-tle,  woman. 
Ske'poor,  rabbit. 


Taerkh,  bone. 
Tah-lass',  foot. 
Tah'ness,  kuee. 
Ta'hun-er,  king-fisher. 
Tarn,  what. 
Tar-mo'hoks,  beads. 
Ta-squilms',  heart. 
Tat-kloke'tat-arles,  God. 
Teh'a-ner,  blue  jay.  "* 

Ten-a-mau'   chathl',   my   little 
daughter. 


O. 

Omtz  ta  kahl,  give  me  water* 

*•  '.-..'■. 

Pow,  one.  .     , 

Q. 

Quer'que-lin,  mouse. 
Que'tark,  elk. 
Que-'tone',  son. 
Qui-natch',  get. 
Quin'ish,  brother. 

s.  _■.  ', 

Sme-tar',  bowl.  ; 

Sme-tarx'  or  me-tarx',  large  sea> 

clam. 
Smo'o-lum,  carrots  or  parsnips. 
Snatchm',  old  woman. 
Soil'me,  cranberries. 
Squeo,  squirrel. 
Squiliim,  heart.  -..-    •  ■. 

Squin-too',  poultry,  partridges. 
Squin'tum,  white  man. 
Squin'tum    sme-tar',    earthen    or 

crockery  bowl. 
Stay-a-ough',  man. 
Sus'per-ter,  hip. 
Swin-ailsh',  a  large  viviparous  fish 

like  the  menhaden. 

Ten-a-man'  que -tone',  my  little 

son. 
Ten-a-mart',  head.  ,  _•  --^ 

Ten-a-mose',  eye.  .  ,  ''  . .      i- 

Ten-a-muck'um,  throat.         ;   -, 
Ten-a-mux',  nose.  •,  '  • 

Ten-a-quel-ah'koo,  my  wife. 
Ten-arts'lits,  veins. 
Ten-chait',  elder  brother.  .,  „•.,,  ,  . 
Tene-ai',  elder  sister. 
Ten-kaer',  my  mother. 


appendix; 


415 


LTx',  large  sea- 


viviparous  fish 


)ne',  my  little 


Ten-kah',  my  father. 
Ten-kahmtn',  breast. 
Ten-kunge,  mouth. 
Ten-la-houtch',  windpipe. 
Ten-mo'qua,  face. 
Ten-iiisch',  younger  brother. 
Ten-pake',  back. 
Ten-pa-pa-ar'ich,  nail. 
Ten-pesch,  younger  sister. 
Ten-quel-lan',  ear. 
Ten-sarst',  stomach. 
Ten-shen',  my  husband. 
Ten-squails',  blood. 
Ten-sta'ko-no'weesh,  hand. 
Ten-taok'-tse,  tongue. 
Ten-thle-quart',  hair. 
Ten-tome',  navel. 
Ten-tsa'whait,  bladder. 
Ten-tse-kwok',  thigh. 


Wap'pa-loot'za,  owl. 
War'tich,  who. 
Wee'a-hun,  turn  round. 
Whe'ark,  eagle. 


Yan-jan'ka,  necklace. 


Ten-tseuith,  leg. 
Tents-ho'inish,  arm. 
Ten-yan-ness',  tooth. 
Thiuck'nist,  shoulder. 
Tole,  boy. 

Tol-neuch',  west  wind. 
Tolo,  infant  boy. 
Too'lux,  south  wind. 
Tsa'ilich,  five. 
Tsa'kuns,  stick. 
Tsa'mose,  eight. 
Tsoo'itl,  feet. 
Tsopes,  seven. 
Tsuck'oke,  hip-joint. 
Tsum,   writing,   printing,   or  pic- 
tures. 
Tuck,  salmon  eggs. 
Tuckh,  shut. 
Tuck'ho,  nine. 

U. 
Unz,  I. 

W; 

Whid'tuk,  hurry. 

Wohk'sa,  go. 

Wohk'sa  cla-ag'e-pah,  go  get  wood. 

Y. 

Tel-loh',  whale. 


Chenook  or  Jargon. 
The  abbreviations  are  Che.  for  Chenook,  Fr.  for  French,  Eng.  for  EngllBh. 


A; 


Ab'bah,  Che.,  well  then. 
Ae'kik,  Che.,  fiah-hook. 
Aet'-choot  or  a'chote,  Che.,  a  bear. 
Al'ki,  Che.,  by-and-by. 
Al-loy'ma,  Che.,  another. 
Al'ta,  Che.,  now. 

An'kar-ty,  Che.,  of  old  time,  or 
time  past. 


An-nah',  Che.,  exclamation  of  as- 
tonishment. 

Ap'pola,  Che.,  any  thing  roasted. 

Ar-hue'yo,  Che.,  a  chest. 

Arts,  Che.,  sister. 

Arts'poe,  Che.,  fleas. 

A-toice-te-ni-ka  ait'semar,  Che.,  I 
have  ti.  good  heart. 


*  \\ 


n 

w 


416 


APPENDTX. 


(I     ! 


If- 


I 


i 


il-if 


S     : 

!  ; 


' '',.  J  4 


I 

,1 

,i 

(, 
I 


■•■> 


*  I 


B. 

Bos-ton,  Fng.f  American. 


Cah,  Che.,  where. 
Cah'tah,  Che.,  how,  why. 
Caim-tux  or  Kaim-tux,  Che.f  I 

have  or  did  understand. 
Ca-nim',  Che.,  canoe. 
Ca'pote,  Fr.,  coat. 
Cap-swaia,  Che.,  to  steal.  - 
Cai-de'na,  Che.,  fight. 
Car-mo'sah,  Che.,  beads. 
Car'mox,  Che.,  dog. 
Car'qua,  Che.,  thus,  the  same. 
Cha-ko,  Che.,  to  come. 
Chee,  Che.,  new. 

Chin'ka-min,  Che.,  iron  or  silver. 
Chitch.  Che.,  grandmother. 
Chupe,  Che.,  grandfather. 
Clall,  Che.,  black,  dark  colored. 
Clap  or  Klap,  Che.,  to  find. 
Clat'ta-wah,  Che.,  to  go. 
Clax'ta,  Che.,  who. 


C. 

Cle-men'ti-kote,  Che.,  to  lie. 

Clo-clo,  Che.,  oysters. 

Clo-nmi',  Che.,  don't  know;  per- 
haps. 

Clone,  Che.,  three. 

Close  or  Klosh,  Che,,  good. 

Co-cumb',  Che.,  a  swan. 

Cok'shut,  Che.,  break,  hurt,  or  de- 
stroy. 

Cold  Iliihi?,  winter. 

Cole'ly,  Che.,  lively,  sprightly,  frol- 
icksome. 

Comb,  mng..  comb.  t- 

Co'pah,  CA«.,  for,  to,  with,  &c. 

Cul'la-culla,  Che.,  birds. 

Cul'tus,  C^e.,  trifling,  common. 

Cum'tux,  Che.,  to  know,  to  under- 
stand. 

Cu'shu,  Che.,  hog. 


D. 

Da-go,  Che.,  gnats  or  musquitoes.   Dly,  Eng.,  dry. 
De-late'  or  Tlaite,  Eng.,  straight.  Dly  tup'soe,  Che.,  hay. 


Ea'suk,  Che.,  paddle. 
Eat-in-will,  Che.,  ribs. 
E-li-ar-ty,  Che.,  slave. 
En-ah,  Che.,  a  beaver. 


Glass,  Eng.,  glass. 
Gleece,  E»g.,  grease. 


E. 

En-a'poe,Cftc.,  lice. 
E'na-tie,  Che.,  the  other  side. 
En-si'ka,  Che.,  our  or  we. 


Gleece-pire,  Eng.,  candles. 
H. 


Hachr  or  housn,  Che.,  house.  Hee-hee  la'mar,  Che.,  to  gamble. 

Hahlick-ly,  Che.,  open.  Hi-ack,  Ch£.,  make  haste,  hurry. 

Halo,  C/ie.,  there  is  none.  Hi-as  Cul'tus,  Che.,  worthless. 

Han'ker-chim,iS'N^.,  handkerchief.  Hi-yu',  Che.,  plenty. 

Hee-hee,  Che.,  laugh.  Ho'ey-ho-ey,  Che,  to  exchange. 


I  fe 


APPENDIX. 


417 


I't   know;   per- 


How,  Che.,  look  here.  instance,  Hy-as'  ca-nim',  great 

Hrowl'kult,  Che.,  stubborn.  cane    Hy-as'  close,  very  good. 

Hy-as',  Che.,  great,  very ;  as,  for  Hy-au  bunday,  Che.,  Christmas. 


I. 

Ick'poee,  Che.,  to  shut, 
iriihe,  Che.,  earth. 
In-nude,  Che.,  across. 
Ip'soot,  Che.,  to  hide. 


Icht,  Che.,  one. 

Icht  stick,  Che.,  one  yard. 

Ick'ta,  Che.,  what,  or  thing;   as, 

Ick'ta  mi-ka  tik-ke,  what  do  you 

want?  Cah  mi-ka  ick'tas,  where  Is'cum,  Che.,  to  get  or  to  receive. 

are  your  things  ? 


Kae'poor,  Che.,  needle. 

Ka-li'ten,  Che.,  lead,  shot. 

Ka'po,  Che.,  a  relative  older,  as  an 
older  brother,  sister,  or  cousin. 

Kat'suck,  Che.,  midway. 

Kee'quil-ly,  Che.,  down,  under. 

Kettle,  Eng.,  a  pot  or  kettle. 

Ke-whap',  Che.,  a  hole. 

Ke'yn-tan,  Che.,  a  horse. 

Kil'la-pie,  Che.,  to  overturn,  or  to 
return. 

Kil-lic'soe,  Che.,  bottle. 

Kim'ta,  Che.,  behind. 

Ki-noose,  Che.,  tobacco. 

Kla-ceece,  Che.,  stars. 

Klack'han,  Che.,  a  fence. 

Kla'hai-yam,  Che.,  poor  or  unfor- 
tunate. 

Kla-how'ya,  Clt£.,  how  are  you. 

Ela-pote,  Che.,  thread. 


K. 

Klas'ka,  Che.,  they. 

Kla-wa',  Che.,  slow. 

Klax'ta,  Che.,  who. 

Kle'men,  Che.,  any  thing  ground  to 

powder. 
Kle'men-saplel,  Che.,  flour. 
Klem'men-kle'mem    il-lihe,  Che.y 

sand. 
Kleutch'man,  Che.,  woman. 
Klip,  Che.,  deep. 
Klock,  Che.,  untie.   Mamoke  klock- 

lope,  untie  that  rope. 
Ko'le-ko'le,  Che.,  mouse. 
Kon'a-way,  Che.,  all. 
Kon'sick,  Che.,  how  much  or  how 

many. 
Kow,  Che.,  to  tie. 
Kull,  Che.,  hard,  tough. 
KuU-kuU  stick,  Che.^  oak. 


La  bis'cuit,i^.,  biscuit,  hard  bread.  Lagomme  stick,  Fr.,  pitch  knots. 

La  blee',  Fr.  (ble),  wheat.  Lake,  E'tg.,  lake. 

La  bottaile',  Fr.  (bottaile),  bottle.  La  leem ,  Fr.  (lime),  file. 

La  bouche',  Fr.   ( bouche ),    the  Laley,  Che.,  long  time. 


mouth 
La  breed',  Fr.  (bride),  bridle. 
La  cas-sette',  Fr.  (cassette),  trunk 

or  chest. 
La  chan-delle,  Fr.,  candle. 
Lack'et,  Che.,  four. 
La  gomme,  Pr.,  pitch  or  gum. 


La  lupan,  Fr.  (ruban),  ribbon. 
La'mai,  Fr.  (la  mere),  old  woman 

or  the  mother. 
La  mar',  Fr.  (main),  hand. 
La  mo'lu,  Fr.,  wild  or  like  a  young 

colt. 
La  mon-taigne',  Fr.,  mountain. 

S2 


418 


APPENDIX. 


It  ' 
i 

h 

i 

k 

1 

I 


1. 


i]     •!■       > 


»    4.' 


^  i 


:1 


f^    ' 


t;  7 


I . 


,  ■'•  ft 


La  mu-ton',  Fr.  (niouton),  shoep. 

La  pash-ma',  Fr.  (blanchet),  sad- 
dle blanket. 

La  peep',  Fr.  (pipe),  pipe. 

La  peir,  Fr.  (pelle),  spade,  shovel. 

La  pia'ge,  Fr.  ( piege ),  trap  or 
snare. 

La  pio'sge,  Fr.  (pioche),  hoe. 

La  plash',  Fr.  (planche),  boards. 

La  porte',  Fr.,  door. 

La  pou'ille,  Fr.  (poele),  fry-pan. 

La  queen,  uncertain,  a  saw. 

Larch,  Fr.  (I'orge),  barley. 

La  sello',  Fr.  (selle),  saddle. 

La  sou'ille,  Fr.  (sole),  silk. 

La  tamle',  Fr.  (table),  table. 

La  ween,  Fr.  (avoine),  oats. 

Lazy,  Fng.,  slow  or  lazy. 

Le  chaise'.  Fr.  (chaise),  chain. 

Le  coque,  Fr.,  cock. 

Le  creme,  IV.,  cream. 

Le  dar,  Fr.  (dents),  teeth. 

Le  glow,  Fr.  (clou),  nails. 


Le  hache',  Fr.  (hache),  the  hatchet. 

Le  job,  Che.,  the  devil. 

Le  kallot,  Fng.,  carrots. 

Le  klee,  Fng.,  key. 

Lek'y,  Che.,  spotted. 

Le  lame',  Fr.  (rame),  oar. 

Le  lang',  Fr.  (langue),  tongue. 

Le  loo',  Fr.  (loup),  wolf. 

Le  nez',  Fr.  (nez),  the  nose. 

Le  pied',  Fr.  (pied),  foot. 

Le  plate',  Fr.  (pretre),  priest. 

Le  poor',  Fr.  (pois),  peas. 

Le  poulet,  Fr.,  hen. 

Lo  saik',  Fr.  (sac),  bag  or  sack. 

Lo  tete',  IV.  (tete),  the  head. 

Lice,  Fug.,  rice. 

Lip-a-lip,  Che.,  to  boil. 

Lis'quis,  Che.,  mat. 

Lo'lo,  Che.,  bring  or  cany. 

Lope,  Fnff.,  rope. 

Luck-wul'la,  Che.,  nut, 

Lum,  Fng.,  rum. 

Lu'pul-la,  Che.,  back. 


M. 


Ma'moke,  Che.,  work. 

Ma-moke  la  pou'ille,  to  fry  any 

thing. 
Man,  Eng.,  man. 
Mar'koke,  Che.,  trade. 
Marsh,  Che.,  put  off  until,  &c.,  as,  Mo'lack,  Che.,  elk. 

Marsh  mi-ka  ca'pote,  put  off    Moo'la,  Fr.  (moulin),  mill 


Me-si'ka,  Che.,  yours. 
Mia'mi,  Che.,  down  stream. 
Mid'lait,  Che.,  stop,  put,  &c. 
Mi'ka,  Che.,  you. 
Mit'quit,  Che.,  stand  up. 


your  coat. 


Ivioos-a-moos,  Che.,  beef. 


Mar'tin-ly,  Che.,  at  a  distance  off  Moo'sum,  Che.,  sleep. 


shore. 
Mart'quil-ly,    Che.,    toward    the 

shore  or  on  shore. 
Mem'e-lose,  Che.,  dead. 
Mer'cie,  Fr.  (je  vous  remercie), 

thanks. 


Mo'wich,  Che.,  deer. 

Mox,  Che.,  two. 

Mox-poh,  Che.,  double  barrel  gun. 

Muck'a-muck,  Che.,  food,  to  eat. 

Mu-sa'chee,  Che.,  bad. 


Na-nar'mox,  Che.,  otter. 
Nar'nitch,  Che.,  see. 
Nar'tle-ly,  Che.,  is  it  not  so  ? 


Nar-wit'ka,  Che.,  yes. 
Ne'whar,  Che.,  how  is  it? 
Ni'ka  or  Nai'ka,  Che.,  I. 


J^ 


■'f     V 


APPENDIX. 


419 


Oi'cut,  Che.f  road. 
Oiee,  Che.,  small  clams. 
Ois'kin,  Che.,  cup. 
Oke,  Che.,  those  or  that. 
O'koke,  Che.,  this. 
Oli-kai'yu,  Che.,  seal. 
O'lil-lies,  the.,  berries. 
O'lo,  Che.,  hungry. 


Par'tle,  Che.,  full. 

Far'tle  lum,  Che.,  full  of  rum,  or 

drunk. 
Fay  or  pee,  Che.,  but,  with,  and. 
Pe-chuck',  Che,  green. 
Fel'ton,  Che.,  drunk  or  foolish. 
Pe-sioux',  Che.,  French. 
Pil,  Che.,  red. 
Fil'pil,  Che.,  blooo 
Pire,  Ung.,  fire. 


O. 

0-luck',  Che.,  snake. 
Oo'moor,  Che.,  large  sea  clams. 
Ope'cher,  Che.,  knife. 
Ope'quin,  Che.,  basket. 
O'pooche,  Che.,  tail. 
Ote'quei-mar,  mussels. 
Ow,  Che.,  brother. 

Fire  o1il-lies,  Che.,  ripe  berries. 
Pi-she-ak',  Che.,  exhausted. 
Fish-pish,  Ung.  (puss),  cat. 
Fi-thik',  Che.,  thick. 
Fo,  Che.,  gun. 
Fo'lak-a-ly,  Che.,  night. 
Fo'lal-ly,  Che.,  powder. 
Fo'lal-ly  il'lihe,  Che.,  sand. 
Pos-sis'see,  Che.,  blanket. 
Potlatch,  Che.,  give  or  gift. 


Vv 


Qua'nice,  Clie.,  whale. 
Qua'ni-sum,  Che.,  always. 
Quass,  Che.,  afraid. 
Queo'queo,  Che.,  finger-ring. 
Qui'cer,  Che.,  porpoise. 
Qui'etz,  Che.,  nine. 


Q. 

Quil'lan,  Che.,  ear. 
Qui'nim,  Che.,  five. 
Qui'pet,  Che.,  stop,  finish,  done. 
Quit-chad'dy,  Che.,  rabbit. 
Quit'tle,  Che,,  shoot,  hunt,  kill. 


SaTiil-li,  Che.,  up. 

Sail,  Eng.,  calico,  cotton  cloth. 

Sal-mon,  Eng.,  salmon. 

Sap'pe-lail,  Che.,  flour. 

Scal'la-been,  Eng.  (carabine),  rifle. 

Se-ar'host,  Che.,  eye,  face,  coun- 
tenance. 

Sear'portl,  Che.,  cap,  hat. 

See'py,  Che.,  crooked. 

Seix,  Che.,  friend. 

Se-kar'lox,  Che.,  pantaloons,  leg- 
gins. 

Sen'na-mox,  Che.,  seven. 

Shar'ty,  Che.,  sing. 


8. 

Shet'sam,  Che.,  swim. 
Si-ah',  Che.,  far  off. 
Sick-tum-tum,  Che.,  sorrow. 
Si'lix,  Che.,  angry. 
Sil-sil,  Che.,  buttons. 
Sit'kum,  Che.,  half. 
Sifkum-sun,  Che.,  noon. 
Si-wash',  Fr.  (sauvage),  Indian. 
Skad,  Che.,  a  mole. 
Ska-kairk,  Che.,  hawk. 
SkooTcum,  Che.,  strong. 
Skoo-kum'  or  Sku-kum',  Che.,  evil 

spirits. 
Skub'by-you,  Che.,  skunk. 


\ 


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:■'  f- 


I, 


\'. 


420  APPENDIX. 


Skud'so,  Che.,  squirrel. 
Smock-sraock,  Cne.,  grouae. 
Snass,  Che.,  rain. 
Soil'me,  Che,,  craaberries. 


Ta-co-mo'nak,  Che.,  one  hundred. 
Ta-hum',  Che.,  six. 
Ta-mo'lich,  Che.,  barrel. 
Tar  t'ki,  Che.,  yesterday. 
Tat-te'lum,  Che.,  ten. 
Te-ar'wit,  Che.,  foot,  leg. 
Te-cope',  Che.,  white. 
Tee-he  or  hee-hee,  Che.,  laugh. 
Te-nas,  Che.,  small. 
Tick-air'chy,  Che.,  although. 
Ti-ki,  Che.,  want. 
Til-li-cum,  .Che.,  man. 
Tin-tin,  Che.,  music,  bells. 
Tlcul',  Che.,  still. 
Tli-cup',  Che.,  to  cut. 


Soo'tie,  Che.,  mouse. 
Btope'kin,  Che,,  eight. 
Swaa'wa,  Che.,  panther. 

T. 

To'lo,  Che.,  to  win. 
To-man'a-wos   or  To-mah'na-wos, 

Che.,  medicine,  or  medicine-man, 

magic. 
Too-tooche'  Che.,  breasts,  milk. 
Too-toocho'  gleece,  Che.,  butter. 
Tsick-tsick,  Che.,  wagon. 
Tsuck,  Che.,  water. 
Tul  or  Til,  Che.,  heavy,  tired. 
Tum-tsuck,  Che.,  waterfall. 
Tum'tum,  Che.,  heart,  soul,  mind. 
Tup'so,  Che.,  grass,  hair,  leaves. 
Ty-ee',  Che.,  chief. 
Tzae,  Che.,  sweet. 

U. 


Ul'ti-cut,  Che.,  long. 

W. 

Wagh,  Che.,  spill.  Wap'pa-too,  Che.,  potatoes. 

Wake,  Che.,  no.  Warm  illihe,  Che.,  summer. 

Wake-kon'sick,  Che.,  never.  Waugh-waugh,  Che.,  ow. 

Wap'pa-too,  Che.,  the  bulb  of  the  Wa'wa,  Che.,  talk. 

saggittafolia  or  arrow-head,  an  Wha'ah,  Che.,  an  exclamation. 

ecUble  root.  Wicht  Che.,  also,  then,  after. 


Ta-chost',  Che.,  belly. 
Ya-ka,  Che.,  he,  she,  or  it. 
Ya'kol-la,  Che.,  eagle. 
Yak'soot,  Che.,  hair. 


Ya-qua',  Che.,  here.        /' 

Ya'wa,  Che.,  there. 

Youl'ti-cttt  or  ul-ti-cat,  CA«.,  long. 


NUMEBALS. 

Chehalii. 

Chenook. 

One, 

pow, 

•• 

icht. 

Two, 

sartl, 

mox. 

Three, 

chutl, 

clone. 

Four, 

mcse, 

lack'it. 

Five, 

tsai-Utch, 

qui'nim. 

APPENDIX. 


421 


Six, 

Seven, 

Ki^ht, 

Nino, 

Ten, 

Eleven, 

Twelve, 

Thirteen, 

Fourteen, 

Fifteen, 

Sixteen, 

Seventeen, 

Eighteen, 

Nineteen, 

Twenty, 

Thirty, 

Forty, 

Fifty, 

Sixty, 

Seventy, 

Eighty, 

Ninety, 

One  hundred, 

One  thousand, 


Ghehalli. 
saer-tich, 
tHopcs, 
tsa-niose, 
tuck-ho, 
par-nich, 
par-n  ic  h-ten-pow, 
par-nich-ton-sarti, 
par-nich-ten-chutl, 
par-nich-ten-mose, 
par-nich-ten-tsai-litch', 
par-nich-ten-saer-tich', 
par-nich-ten-tsopc8, 
par-nich-ten-tsa-mose, 
par-nich-ten-tiick-ho, 
par-nich-ten-par-nich, 
chutl-par-nich, 
mosc-par-nich, 
tsai-litch-ten-par-nich, 
saer-tich-ton-par-nich, 
tsopes-tat-par-nich , 
tsa-mose-tcn-par-nich, 
tuck-hio-par-nich, 
ten  par-nich-tat-par-nich. 


ch«nook. 
ta-hutn. 
Bin'na-mox. 
stopc'kin. 
qui'ctz. 
tat-to-lum. 
tat-te-!um  po  icht. 
tat-te-lum  pe  mox. 
tat-tc-lura  pe  clone, 
tat-te-lum  po  lack'it. 
tat-te-lum  po  qui'nim. 
tat-tc-lum  pe  ta'hum. 
tat-to-lum  pe  sin'na-mox. 
tat-te-lum  pe  stopc'kin. 
tat-tc-lum  pe  qui'etz. 
mox  tat-tc-lum. 
clone  tat-te-lum. 
lack'it  tat-te-lum. 
qui'nim  tat-te-lum. 
ta'hum  tat-te-lum. 
sin'na-mox  tat-te-lom. 
stope'kin  tat-te-lum. 
qui'ctz  tat-te-lum. 
icht  ta-co-mo-nack. 
icht  hy-as-ta-co-mo-nack. 


List  of  Words  in  the  Noothan  fMnguarje  the  most  in  use,  from  John  R, 
Jeweti's  Narrative  of  the  Massacre  of  the  Crew  of  the  Ship  Boston  by 
the  Savages  of  Queen  (Jutrkt tie's  Sound,  1803. 


Ar-emoo-tish  check-up,  a  wurrior. 
Ar-teese,  to  bathe. 
Cha-alt-see-klat-tur-wah,  go  off  or 

away. 
Cha-hak,  fresh  water. 
Cham-mass,  fruit. 
Cham-mass-ish,  sweet  or  pleasant 

10  the  taste.    . 
Chap-atz,  canoe. 
Check-up,  man. 
Chee-chee,  teeth. 
Chee-me-na,  a  fish-hook. 
Chee-poke,  copper. 
Che-men,  fish-hooks. 
Chit-ta-yck,  knife  or  dagger. 
Choop,  tongue. 


Coo-coo-ho-sa,  seal. 
Ecn-a-qui-shit-tlc,  to  kindle  a  fire. 
Ein-nuk-see,  fire  or  fuel. 
Em-me-chap,  to  play. 
Hah-welhs,  hungry. 
Hap-se-up,  hair. 
Hc-ho,  yes. 

Hoo-ma-hex-a,  mother. 
I-yah-ish,  much. 

I-yer-ma-hah,  I  do  no  i  understand. 
Kah-ah-coh,  bring  it. 
Eah-ah-pah-chilt,   give   me  some- 
thing. 
Kak-koelth,  slave. 
Kas-see,  eyes. 
Kat-lah-tik,  brother. 


422 


APPENDIX. 


i    ,   5 


J  '! 


r/ 


.  1  H 


Klack-e-miss,  oil. 
Klack-ko  ty-ee,  thank  ye,  chief. 
Klat-tur-miss,  earth. 
Kle-war,  to  laugh. 
Klick-er-yck,  rings. 
Klish-klin,  feet. 
Kloos-a-mit,  herring. 
Kloot-chem-up,  sister. 
Klootz-niah,  woman. 
Klu-shish,  good. 
Kom-me-tak,  I  understand. 
Kook-a-nik-sa,  hands. 
Mac-kam-mah-shish,  do  you  want 

to  buy? 
Mah-hack,  whale. 
Ma-mook,  to  sell. 
Ma-mook  su-mah,  to  go  to  fish. 
Mar-met-ta,  goose  or  duck. 
Meit-Ia,  rain. 
Mook-see,  rock. 
Moot-sus,  powder. 
Moo-watch,  bear. 
Muk-ka-tee,  house. 
Naet-sa,  nose. 
Nee-sim-mer-hiss,  enough. 
Noot-che,  mountain  or  hill. 


Noo-wex-a,  father. 

Oo-nah,  how  many  ? 

Oo-phelth,  sun  or  moon. 

Oo-wha-pa,  paddle. 

Par-pee,  ears. 

Pook-shit-tle,  to  blow.  ■ 

Po-shak,  bad. 

Pow  or  po,  the  report  of  a  gtin. 

Pow-ee,  halibut. 

Quart-lah,  sea-otter. 

Queece,  snow. 

Quish-ar,  smoke. 

See-ya-poks,  cap  or  hat. 

Sick-a-min-ny,  iron. 

Sie-yah,  sky. 

So-har,  salmon. 

Tan-as-sis,  child. 

Tan-as-sis  check-up,  son. 

Tan-as-sis  kloots-mah,  daughter. 

Tar-toose,  stars. 

Taw-hat-se-tee,  head. 

Toop-elth,  sea. 

Toop-helth,  cloth. 

Toosch-qua,  cod. 

Ty-ee,  chief. 

Wik,  no. 


Comparative  Words  in  the  Nootka  and  Clienook  or  Jargon, 

Mootka.  Chenook. 

Elootz-mah,  klooch-man, 

Tan-as-sis,  ta-nas, 

Sick-a-ttiin-ny,  chink-a-min, 

Ma-mook,  ma-mook, 

Kom-me-tak,  kum-tux, 
Klu-shish,  or,  asMeares) 


woman. 

child  or  any  thing  small. 

iron. 

work. 

understand.       '     , 


writes,  Cloosh, 
Ty-ee, 
See-ya-poks, 
Klack-ko, 
Pow, 

Klat-tur-wah, 
Wik, 


; 


klose, 

ty-ee, 

sear-portl, 

klac-koon, 

pow  or  po, 

clat-te-wah, 

wake, 


good. 

chief. 

cap  or  hat. 

good. 

report  of  a  gun  or  cannon. 

go  oif  or  go  away. 

no. 


APPENDIX. 


423 


Account  op  the  Vessels  engaged  in  the  Sea-otter  Fitb-traoe 
ON  THE  Northwest  Coast  prior  to  1808. 

In  the  following  account  of  American  vessels,  it  will  be  perceived 
that  the  latest  date  is  1807.  From  that  time  to  the  close  of  the  War 
of  1812  the  fur-trade  was  rather  to  be  considered  as  the  Columbia 
Biver  trade,  and  the  names  of  such  vessels  can  be  found  in  the  text  up 
to  the  time  when  Astoria  was  sold  to  the  Northwest  Company.  I 
should  have  published  a  full  list  of  the  early  traders  to  the  Columbia, 
but  could  get  no  authentic  statement. 

List  of  American  Vessels  engaged  m  the  Trade  of  the  Northwest  Coast 
of  America  for  Sea-otter  Skins  from  1787  to  1809,  compiled  by  William 
Tufts,  Esq.,  from  his  own  Memoranda,  and  from  the  very  valuable 
Notes  kindly  furnished  by  Captain  William  Sturgis,  of  Boston. 


Time  of 
utiling. 

Vessels'  Names. 

Masters. 

Where 
owned. 

Owners. 

What  Years 
on  the  Coast. 

178T 

Ship  Columbia. 

Kendrick. 

Boston. 

Barren,  Bulfinch 
&Co. 

1783,  Itbi. 

178T 

Sloop  Washington. 

Gray. 

do. 

do.          do. 

1788.* 

1788 
1789 

None. 

1790 

Ship  Columbia. 

Gray. 

do. 

do.          do. 

1791, 1792.t 

1792 

Sloop  Union. 

Boyd. 

do. 

Not  known. 

1793. 

1792 

Ship  Jefferson. 

Roberts. 

do. 

1 

1792 

Brig  Hancock. 

Crowell. 

do. 

> 

1792 

Ship  Margaret. 

Mageo. 

do. 

1792 

Brig  Hope. 

Ingraham.S 

do. 

J 

1796 

Snow  Sea  Otter. 

Hill. 

do. 

1796, 1T97.II 

1795 

Schr. . 

Newbury. 

do. 

1796. 

1796 

Ship  Dispatch. 

Bowers. 

do. 

Dorr  and  Sons. 

1797. 

1796 

Ship  Indian  Packet. 

Rogers. 

do. 

do. 

1797. 

1796 

Ship  Hazard. 

Swift. 

do. 

Perkins,  Lamb  & 
Co. 

1797, 1798. 

1797 

Not  known. 

1798 

Ship  Eliza. 

Rowan. 

do. 

Perkins,  T^amb  & 
Co. 

1799. 

1798 

Ship  Ulysses. 

Lamb. 

do. 

Lamb  and  others. 

1799. 

1798 

Ship  Hancock. 

Crocker. 

do. 

Dorr  and  Sons. 

1799. 

1798 

Ship  Dispatch. 

Breck. 

do. 

do. 

1799. 

1798 

Ship  Dove. 

Duffin. 

Canton. 

Not  known. 

1799. 

1798 

Ship  Cheerful. 

Beck. 

do. 

do. 

1799. 

1798 

Sloop  Dragon. 

Cleaveland. 

do. 

Cleaveland  and 
others. 

1799. 

1799 

Ship  Alert. 

Bowles. 

Boston. 

Lamb  and  other& 

180a 

1799 

Ship  Jenny. 

Bowers. 

do. 

Dorr  and  Sons. 

1800. 

1799 

Ship  Alexander. 

Dodd. 

do. 

Bass  and  others. 

1800. 

1799 

Schr.  Rover. 

Davidson. 

do. 

Dorr  and  Sons. 

1800. 

1799 
1799 

Ship  Dove. 
Ship  Hazard. 

Duffin. 
Swift. 

Canton. 
Boston. 

1800. 
1800, 1801. 

Perkins  &  others. 

1800 

Ship  Charlotte. 

Ingersoll. 

do. 

1801. 

*  Remained  on  the  Coast  under  Captain  Kendrick  for  many  years.     Gray  went 
home  in  the  Columbia ;  Kendrick  was  accidentally  killed  at  the  Sandwich  Islands. 


t  Discovered  Columbia  River. 

t  Time  of  sailing,  time  on  the  coast,  and  owners  not  known. 

i  Discovervd  tbs  Washington  Islands,  South  Pacific. 


II  Captain  killed. 


tl'' 


424 


APPENDIX. 


M 


i 


riffr; 


ll^ 


j 

«< 

•^ 

^■ 

1  ..    .  . , 

Timaof 
Miling. 

VemU'  NaniM. 

Marten. 

Where 
owned. 

Ownan. 

What  Year* 
on  the  Coast. 

1800 

Ship  Ouatimozin. 

Bumstcad. 

Boston. 

T.    Lyman    and 
Others. 

1801. 

1800 

Ship  Atahualpa. 

Wildea 

do. 

do. 

1801. 

1800 

Ship  Globe. 

Magee. 

do. 

Perkins,      Lamb 
and  others. 

1801,  1802.* 

1300 

Ship  Carolina. 

Derby. 

do. 

do.        do. 

1801, 1802.  t 

180O 

Ship  Manchester. 
Ship  Lucy. 

Brice. 

Philadel'a. 

1801, 1802. 

1800 

Pierpont. 

Boston. 

Cobb  and  othei-s. 

1801. 

1800 

Ship  Dispatch. 

Dorr. 

do. 

Dorr  and  Sons. 

1801. 

1800 

Ship  Belle  Savage. 

Ockington. 

do. 

J.  Cooledge. 

1801. 

1800 

Ship  Enterprise. 

Hubbell. 

New  York. 

Hoy  and  Thorn. 

1801, 

1800 

Brig  Lavinia. 

Hubbard. 

Bristol,R.I. 

R  J.  De  Wolf. 

1801. 

1800 

Brig  Littiler. 

Dorr. 

Boston. 

Dorr  and  Sons. 

1801. 

1800 

Brig  Polly. 

Kelly. 

do. 

Thomas  Parish. 

1801. 

1801 

Ship  Alert. 

Ebbetts. 

do. 

Lamb  and  others. 

1802, 1803. 

1801 

Ship  Catharine. 

Worth. 

do. 

J.  Cooledge. 

1802. 

1801 

Ship  Jenny. 

Crocker, 

do. 

Dorr  and  Sons. 

1802. 

1801 

Schr.  Hetty. 
Ship  Vancouver. 

Briggs. 
Brown. 

Pbiladel'a. 

1802. 

1801 

A    A*  A  *V«V%&^rf  m    9J99 

Boston. 

Lyman  &  others. 

1802,  1803. 

1801 

Ship  Jupo. 

Kendrick. 

Bri8tol,RI. 

De  Wolf. 

1802,  1803. 

1802 

Ship  Mary. 

BowleH. 

Boston. 

J.  Gray. 

1803.t 

1802 

Ship  Guatimozin. 

Bumstead. 

do. 

Lyman  &  others. 

1803,  1804. 

1802 

Ship  Hazard. 

Swift. 

do. 

Perkins  &  others 

1803, 1804. 

1802 

Ship  Boston. 

Salter. 

do. 

T.  Amory. 

1803.J 

1803 

Ship  Atahualpa. 

O.  Porter. 

do. 

T.   Lyman    and 
others. 

1804, 1806.1 

1803 

Ship  Caroline. 

Sturgis. 

do. 

Lamb  and  others. 

1804,  1805. 

1804 

Ship  Mary. 

Trescott. 

do. 

J.  Gray. 

1805.  IT 

1  04 

Ship  Vancouver. 

Brown. 

do. 

Thomas  Lyman. 

1806,  1806. 

1804 

Ship  Pearl. 

Ebbctta. 

do. 

TAmb  and  others. 

1805,  1806. 

1804 

Ship  Juno. 

De  Wol£ 

Bristol. 

De  Wolf. 

1806. 

1804 

Brig  Lydia. 

HUl. 

Boston. 

T.  Lyman. 

1806, 1806. 

1S06 

Ship  Hamiltoa 

L.  Porter. 

do. 

do. 

1806,  180T. 

1806 

Ship  Hazard. 

Smith. 

do. 

Perkins  &  others. 

1806,  1807. 

1806 

Ship  Derby. 

Swift 

do. 

do.             do. 

1807,  1808. 

18l>6 

Ship  Guatimozin. 

Glanville. 

do. 

T.  Lyman. 

1807,1808.  •• 

18(10 

Ship  Atahualpa. 

Sturgis. 

do. 

do. 

1807. 

180T 

Ship  Peart. 

Suter. 

do. 

Perkins  &  others. 

1808,  1809. 

18u7 

Ship  Vancouver. 

AVhittemore. 

do. 

do.             do. 

1808,  1809. 

The  number  of  sea-otter  skins  shipped  from  the  Northwest  Coast  to 
Canton  in  1799  were  11,000 

1800  9,500 

1801  14,000 

1802  14,000—48,500. 

Mr.  Tufts  writes,  under  date  of  Boston,  February  3d,  1857, 
"The  foregoing  list  is  nearly  correct  as  it  regards  the  vessels  en- 
gaged in  the  early  trade  iv  sea-otter  skins  by  American  enterprise.  The 
owners  in  all  cases  are  not  known.  There  may  have  been  other  ves- 
sels on  the  Coast  during  the  time  who  were  engaged  in  collecting  the 
smaller  skins  and  less  valuable  furs,  but  the  above  are  the  regular 
Northwest  traders  for  sea-otter  skins. 

*  Captain  killed.  t  Captain  died.  t  Captain  died. 

S  All  the  crew  killed  by  the  natives  at  Nootka  Sound  except  two  men,  and  the 
vessel  afterward  accidentally  burned. 
I  The  captain,  officers,  and  many  of  the  men  killed  by  Indiani  at  MiUbank  Sound. 
IT  Wrecked  on  her  passage  home.  .     ■     » 

••  Wrecked  on  the  coast  of  New  Jersey,  Feb.  8, 1810.  .  ^^  r  *  . 


APPENDIX. 


425 


d 


What  Yean 
on  the  Coait. 


1801. 
1801. 

1801,  1802.* 

1801, 1802.  t 

1801, 1802. 

1801. 

1801. 

1801. 

1801. 

1801. 

1801. 

1801. 

1802,  1803. 
1802. 
1802. 
1802. 
1802,  1803. 

1802,  1808. 
1803.t 

1803,  1804. 

1803,  1804 
1803.J 

1804, 1805.1 

1804,  1805. 
1805.t 
1806, 1806. 

1805,  1806. 
1806. 

1806. 1806. 
1806, 180T. 

1806. 1807. 

1807,  1808. 

1807.1808.  • 
1807. 

1808,  1809. 
1808,  1809. 


est  Coast  to 


>7, 

vessels  en- 
rprise.  The 
1  other  ves- 
illecting  the 
the  regular 


iptaln  died, 
men,  and  the 

Ibonk  Sound. 


"  I  have  obtained  the  most  of  my  information  from  Captain  Sturgls, 
who  very  kindly  gave  me  the  information  which  his  experience  and 
notes  rpiidered  extremely  valuable. 

"We  aailed  from  Boston  (ship  Guatimozin,  Glanville)  Jnly  7th,  1806, 
arrived  on  the  Coast  March  20th,  1807,  left  the  Coast  September  24th, 
1808,  and  were  wrecked  on  the  coast  of  New  Jersey  (on  Seven-mile 
Beach)  the  3d  of  February,  1810." 

Mr.  Tufts  was  supercargo  of  the  ship. 

It  is  a  rather  singular  fact  that  some  of  the  first  furs  ever  carried  to 
Canton  direct  from  the  Northwest  Coast  should  have  been  by  an  Amer- 
ican. Lieutenant  John  Gore,  a  native  of  Virginia,  who  was  with  Cap- 
tain Cook,  took  charge  of  the  expedition  after  the  death  of  the  cap- 
tain at  Karakoor  Bay,  Sandwich  Islands,  and  Captain  Gierke,  who  suc- 
ceeded him,  and  who  died  at  the  Russian  settlement  of  Peter  and  Paul, 
or  Petropawlowsk.  Gore  sailed  from  Petropawlowsk,  or,  as  the  sailors 
call  it  at  present,  Peterpulaski,  in  October,  1779,  and  reached  Canton 
in  the  beginning  of  December.  While  the  ships  had  been  on  the 
Northwest  C^ast,  the  officers  and  men  had  purchased  a  quantity  of  furs 
from  the  i.^^  i  excliange  for  knives,  old  clothes,  buttons,  and  other 

trifles,  not.  'i',  ;•-  ar,  with  any  reference  to  their  value  as  merchandise, 
but  to  be  used  on  board  ship  as  clothes  or  bedding.  On  their  arrival 
at  Peterpuias'ki,  they  found  the  Russians  anxious  to  buy  all  these  furs; 
but,  having  learned  that  they  were  of  great  value  in  Canton,  concluded 
to  take  them  there,  where  they  sold  for  money  and  goods  for  more  than 
ten  thousand  dollars. 

These  furs,  and  a  few  carried  by  Benyowsky  in  1770,  were  the  only 
ones  that  had  ever  arrived  at  Canton  direct  from  the  Northwest  Coast. 


Gekebai.  Gibbs's  Letter  on  the  Cause  of  the  Indiah  Troubles 
IN  Washington  Territory. 

The  following  extracts  from  a  letter  received  from  General  George 
Gibbs,  dated  "  Fort  Vose,  on  Port  Townsend,  W.  T.,  Jan.  7,  1857," 
give  the  most  reliable  information  on  the  subject  of  the  Indian  War 
that  has  been  received. 

General  Gibbs,  who  was  with  Governor  Stevens,  as  secretary  to  the 
commission,  during  the  making  of  treaties  with  the  Indians  of  Wash- 
ington Territory  in  1855,  and  who  was  afterward  chosen  as  the  Briga- 
dier General  of  the  Territory,  has  throughout  the  war  been  so  situated 
as  to  be  perfectly  cognizant  of  every  event  that  has  transpired  worthy 
of  note,  and  his  information  may  be  relied  on  as  entirely  correct. 

Although  General  Gibbs  does  not  endorse  Governor  Stevens's  policy, 
yet  he  substantially  takes  the  same  view  of  the  d'fficulties  that  I  do, 
but  with  this  exception,  that,  while  admitting  the  ill  feeling  of  the  In- 
dians toward  the  Americans  to  have  existed  for  several  years — !*»  ^n 


v, 


426 


APPENDIX. 


If; 


I  I 

».;' 


l! 


i.i 


1 


?\f- 


I'  *. 


the  instance  of  Kamaiyah-kan — he  does  not  go  to  the  root  of  the  diffi- 
culty, and  state  why  the  Indians  should  hare  this  ill  feeling  toward  the 
Americans,  and  not  toward  the  Hudson  Bay  Company's  people.  I  have 
charged  this  state  of  disafifectioc  directly  on  to  the  Hudson  Bay  Com- 
pany and  their  employes. 

General  Gib'     iVrites: 

"  As  to  our  .:dian  war,  I  have  not  time  to  go  into  a  proper  detail  of 
its  causes.  Of  one  thing  you  may  be  sure ;  it  did  not  spring  out  of  any 
outrages  on  the  part  of  the  whites.  Its  origin  was  the  unwillingness 
of  the  Indians  to  have  their  lands  intruded  on.  Kamaiyah-kan,  the 
head  chief  of  the  Yakamas,  has  always  been  opposed  to  the  intrusion 
of  the  Americans,  and  as  early  as  1853  had  projected  a  war  of  exter- 
mination. Father  Pandory,  the  priest  at  the  Atahnam  mission,  in  the 
spring  of  that  year  wrote  to  Father  J'°'3plie,  the  one  at  the  Dalles,  de- 
siring him  to  inform  Major  Alvord,  in  command  at  that  post,  of  the 
fact,  and  Major  Alvord  reported  it  to  General  Hitchcock,  then  in  com- 
mand on  this  coast.  Hitchcock  censured  him  as  an  alarmist,  and  Fan- 
dory  was  censured  by  his  superior,  who  forthwith  placed  a  priest  of 
higher  rank  with  him.  For  this  reason,  when  Captain  M'Clennan'g 
party  passed  through  in  the  summer  of  that  year,  Pandory  said  r  othing 
to  us  about  it,  and  Major  Alvord's  precautionary  moves  had  disconcert- 
ed Kamaiyah-kan's  plans.  The  Indians,  however,  were  not  satisfied.^ 
The  next  year,  Bolon,  the  agent,  who  was  afterward  killed,  learned  that 
a  council  had  been  held  in  the  Grande  Bonde,  at  which  several  tribes 
were  represented,  and  the  question  of  peace  or  war  was  discussed.  Ka- 
maiyah-kan did  not  attend,  but  sent  his  brother  Sklome  instead,  as  his 
representative.  During  all  that  summer  Bolon  was  unable  to  meet 
with  Kamaiyah-kan,  who  avoided  him,  but  he  saw  Sklome  on  his  re-' 
turn,  who  toid  him  that  there  had  been  such  a  council,  that  he  attend- 
ed it,  and  spoke  against  war.  Later  still  Bolon  met  the  Lawyer,  the 
Nez  Perce  council  chief,  who  also  informed  him  of  the  meeting,  and 
said  that  his  tribe  were  divided  in  opinion,  aud  that  nothing  had  come 
of  it.  The  project  was  still  agitated  during  the  whole  summer  Of  1855, 
Kamaiyah-kan  being  the  head  of  the  war  party,  and  using  his  great 
and  deserved  influence,  as  the  ablest  head  in  all  the  tribes,  to  concen- 
trate them.  The  plan  was  now  communicated  to  all  the  bands  on  this 
side  of  the  mountains  (west  of  them)  who  are  connected  with  the  Ya- 
kamas and  Klikatats,  that  is  to  say,  to  all  those  lying  from  the  Sno- 
qualmie  Biver  southward  to  the  Columbia.  The  upper  bands  upon 
the  Snoqualmiej  Cedar  River,  Green  River  (or  the  Nooscope),  White 
River,  the  Puyallup,  the  Nisqually,  and  the  Cowlitz,  are  all  of  Yaka- 
ma  and  Klikatat  blood,  and  speak  hoth  languages.  On  the  Cathla- 
poodl  the  Klikatats  have  superseded  the  original  tribe,  now  extinct. 
Leshchi,  one  of  the  Nisqually  chiefs,  yfas  a  Yakama  by  the  mother's 
side,  and  related,  I  think,  to  Owhai.  He  has  always  been  a  busy  in- 
triguer and  a  great  traveler,  and  was  the  principal  a^ent  in  the  matter 


APPENDIX. 


427 


on  the  Sonnd  side.  Considerable  portions  of  all  these  tribes  entered 
into  the  confederacy.  There  was  a  large  band  of  Klikatats  who  had 
crossed  the  Columbia  Biver  and  gone  down  by  way  of  the  Willamette 
to  the  Umpqua.  These,  Qeneral  Palmer,  the  Oregon  superintendent, 
unfortunately,  in  the  course  of  his  treaty  operations,  sent  back  to  tl|eir 
own  country  in  this  territory  just  as  the  war  broke  out,  to  swell  the 
ranks  of  the  enemy.  AU  that  summer,  rumors  came  in  of  the  intention 
of  the  Indians  to  break  out.  Indian  women  living  with  white  settlers 
warned  their  husbands  to  take  care  of  themselves ;  but  these  reports 
were  disregarded,  because  we  had  so  long  slept  on  the  volcano  that  we 
did  not  believe  it  could  burn.  In  July,  just  as  I  was  going  over  to  j^'ort 
Va  .couver,  Patkauam,  the  Snoqualmie  chief,  came  to  Fort  Steilacoom 
and  ''esired  me  to  interpret  to  the  officers  what  he  was  about  to  say. 
He  broiight  with  him  Father  D'Harbomey,  whom  I  had  known  at  the 
Yakama  mission  in  1853,  and  stated  that  he  would  say  in  Klikatat  to 
the  father  what  he  had  to  communicate;  that  he  would  tell  me  in 
French,  and  I  should  translate  into  English.  He  wanted  two  witnesses. 
The  substance  of  his  statement  was,  that  the  Indians  on  the  eastern 
side  of  the  mountains  were  going  to  war,  and  perhaps  others  would  join 
them ;  that  he  would  remain  neutral,  and  keep  his  own  people  at  home, 
and  the  whites  might  trust  him.  Patkanam  kept  his  word  through  the 
war,  and  behaved  well — better  than  any  one  expected  of  him.  On  my 
arrival  at  Fort  Vancouver,  Yah-ho-tow-it,  a  Klikatat  sub-chief,  whom 
I  knew,  came  wi.h  Umtrets,  another  old  Klikatat  of  influence  and 
standing  in  his  tribe,  and  desired  me  to  make  a  communication  to  the 
officers  there.  He  said  there  was  going  to  be  war,  and  that  it  was 
good  that  the  whites  should  fill  the  Dalles,  Vancouver,  and  Steilacoom 
with  soldiers — no':  a  few,  as  they  were  then,  but  full — many  soldiers. 
They  promised  to  remain  at  home  on  the  Cathlapoodl,  and  keep  their 
men  there.  Other  warnings  of  like  character  were  given,  but  we  placed 
but  little  confidence  in  them,  believing  that  a  combination  of  tribes 
who  had  many  of  them  been  hostile,  the  one  to  the  other,  and  among 
all  of  whom  jealousies  and  divisions  existed,  was  impossible. 

*'  It  was  during  this  summer  that  the  gold  was  di^  "'^vered  near  Fort 
Colville,  and  manv  persons  went  over  to  the  mines,  and  the  murders 
commenced  upon  them  as  they  were  returning.  The  history  of  the 
rest  I  have  not  time  lo  give  you.  It  has  been  stated  that  the  first  cause 
of  the  outbreak  was  an  outrage  committed  on  one  of  the  women  of 
Te-ai-yas,  a  chief  of  the  uppc  or  northern  band  of  Yakamas,  and  eld- 
er brother  of  O  vhai.  That  this  was  not  so  is  sufficiently  proved  by  the 
evidence  of  the  party  accused,  who  were  men  of  sufficient  character  to 
be  believed  in  the  matter,  as  w^U  as  by  the  fact  that  Te-ai-yas  never 
joined  in  the  war.  The  story,  indeed,  was  not  stpted  till  long  after. 
But  that  the  war  was  premeditated  by  the  Indians  is  evidenced  incon- 
trovertibly.  They  had  laid  in  largo  stor&d  of  powder,  and  ii  is  said 
that  Owhai's  son,  Kwaltchin,  boi^ght  at  the  Dalles  300  lbs.  some  time 


H 


114 


I 


428 


APPENDIX. 


•'. 


4 


/ 


■■Ifil 


^^j 


*ii,-l   r^ 


before  the  war.  The  whole  character  of  their  preparations,  and  the 
number  of  men  from  different  tribes  who,  as  it  were,  in  an  instant 
took  the  field,  showed  long  and  well-arranged  concert,  but  it  is  believed 
the  trap  was  sprung  too  soon.  Kamaiyah-knti  wished  to  wait  until  the 
Columbia  was  closed  with  ice  before  he  commenced  the  attack,  when 
the  whites  this  nide  the  mountains  could  not  go  up  to  aid  their  friends, 
but  the  impatier      of  Kwaltchin  thwarted  this  judicious  intention. 

"  On  the  Soup  .he  Indians  waited  until  Captain  Maloney,  Lieuten- 
ant Slaughter,  an.l  their  men  had  crossed  the  Cascades  to  co-operate 
with  Major  Haller  before  they  broke  out,  when  they  commenced  mur- 
dering the  citizens  on  White  River. 

"  That  the  governor's  treaties  had  a  great  deal  to  do  in  fomenting 
this  war  there  is  no  doubt.  Those  on  the  Sound  were  too  much  hur- 
ried, and  the  reser^'ations  allowed  them  were  insufficient ;  but  his  grand 
blunder  was  in  bringing  together  the  Nez  Perces,WallaWalla8,  Yakamas, 
and  others  into  one  council,  and  cramming  a  treaty  down  their  thraats 
in  a  hurry.  Still,  the  ♦"caties  were  only  one  item  in  the  reasons  for  dis- 
affection. Trea'^'es  had  been  made  with  the  Willamette  and  Columbia 
River  Indians,  first  by  a  board  of  commissioners,  then  by  a  superin- 
tendent, and  none  of  them  ratified,  nor  payments  made  under  them. 
The  Donation  Law  had  very  unjustly  given  to  settlers  the  lands  before 
the  title  was  extinguished.  The  tribes  whose  country  was  occupied 
had  visibly  perished,  and  the  bolder  tribes  of  the  prairies  east  of  the 
mountains  were  determined  that  they  would  keep  us  out,  at  all  events 
till  they  were  paid.  They  saw  that  the  troops  were  few,  and  scattered 
in  distant  and  petty  posts ;  that  they  were  not  mounted,  and  only  one 
station  in  their  country,  which  they  could  easily  exterminate.  The 
Sound  Indians,  encouraged  by  hope  of  support  from  the  Yakamas, 
whom  they  feared  themselves,  thought  that  they,  in  like  manner,  could 
clear  the  Sound,  and  they  came  pretty  near  doing  it.  But  for  Captain 
Maloney's  fortunate  return,  they  probably  would  have  raised  all  the 
tribes,  taken  the  unguarded  post  at  Steilacoom,  supplied  themselves 
with  arms  and  ammunition,  and  whipped  us  out.  It  needed  only  one 
great  success  to  have  enabled  them  to  do  this.  As  to  the  conduct  of 
the  war  on  this  side  (that  is,  west  of  the  Cascade  range  of  mountains), 
it  has  been  well  managed.  Captain  Keyes  and  Colonel  Casey,  who 
succeeded  him  in  command,  acted  with  judgment  and  energy;  but  the 
war  on  the  other  side,  directed  by  Colonel  Wright,  has  been  a  perfect 
farce.  He  has  proclaimed  peace  when  it  only  exists  because  the 
whites  have  been  driven  from  the  country.  He  left  his  communici^ 
tions  behind  him  unguarded,  suffered  the  Cascades  to  be  taken  and 
burned,  ran  back,  gave  up  an  expedition  on  which  he  started,  under- 
took another,  sent  back  for  more  troops,  and  finally,  at  the  head  of 
eleven  companies  of  regulars,  after  talking  and  feeding  the  hostiles  on 
sugar  and  flour,  marched  back  without  taking  a  single  one  of  the  mur- 
derers, without  killing  an  enemy  in  the  field,  without  dictating  terms, 


M 


APPENDIX. 


429 


or  doing  any  thing  whatever  to  chastise  or  subdue  those  who  were  in 
arms.  The  result  is,  that  all  communication  by  way  of  the  Plains  is 
abandoned;  that  other  tribes,  encouraged  by  the  inefficiency  of  the 
troops,  or,  rather,  of  their  commander,  have  joined ;  and  that  the  In- 
dians hold  undisputed  control  over  the  country. 

"  Here  the  principal  difficulty  will  arise  i"rom  the  non-fulfillment  of 
the  treaties  with  the  friendly  tribes.  The  treaty  with  the  Nisquallies, 
&c.,  who  took  up  arms,  was  the  only  one  ratified,  and  of  course  they 
will  receive  their  annuities ;  while  the  Lower  Sound  tribes,  who  have 
remained  peaceable,  and  have  been  compelled  to  suffer  great  though 
nec'-'sary  inconvenience,  remain  neglected.  Whether  the  treaties  are 
good  or  not,  they  ought  to  be  ratified,  or  at  least  provision  made  by  law 
to  pay  their  annuities  as  promised. 

"The  conduct  of  the  government  has  been  most  extraordinary. 
They  have  suflered  a  regular  and  a  volunteer  war  to  go  on  for  a  whole 
year,  and  have  neither  authorized  nor  stopped  the  latter.  Governor 
Stevens  and  General  Wool  have  been  quarreling,  and  they  have  not 
decided  in  favor  of  either.  In  fact,  the  inaction  or  want  of  decision 
shown  at  Washington  has  been  most  culpable.    *    *    ♦    *    ♦ 

"  I  can  not  stop  to  correct  the  above,  or  add  what  may,  perhaps,  be 
necessar}'  to  give  connection  to  the  data.  "''"  1 1  have  meant  to  show 
was  that  the  war  sprung  partly  from  ill-judged  legislation,  partly  from 
previous  unratified  treaties,  and  partly  from  recent  blunders.  Mu^h  is 
due  to  the  natural  struggle  between  the  hostile  races  for  the  sovereign- 
ty of  the  soil.  The  land  is  at  the  root  of  the  \N.ir.  Many  outrages 
have  been  committed  since  it  begun,  it  is  true,  but  it  was  not  private 
wrongs  that  led  to  it.  The  numerous  outrages  committed  by  Indians 
on  whites  have  not  been  taken  into  account  by  those  who  bleat  about 
the  '  pbor  Imdiaii.' " 


•!   if*    lit. 

•pi     '% 

■1  :\  ■' 


'.  \ 


1;=:' 

:.:,. 

1  ■     ■■ 

:  ^ 

:|[  4 

i 

I 


1 


i 


INDEX. 


Aohaitlin,  a  river  at  Shoal-water  Bay, 
page  26. 

Active,  United  States  surveying  steamer, 
268. 

Adair,  General  John,  collector  at  Ast^Ha, 
248. 

Adams,  Point,  named  by  Gray,  129. 

Adventure,  achooner,  13*2. 

Adventure?  with  crabs,  82 ;  serious  adven- 
ture and  narrow  escape,  144 ;  adventure 
with  a  bear,  257 ;  capsize  in  the  surf, 
272. 

Agasaiz,  Professor,  207. 

Albatross,  ship,  228. 

Alden,  Captain  James,  U.  S.  Coast  Survey, 
reconnaissance  of  Shoal-water  Bay,  21 ; 

-  bis  remarlcs  about  the  Bay,  24 ;  steamer 
Active  at  Point  Grenville,  263. 

Alikms  causing  trouble  among  Indians, 
387. 

Amoor  River,  description  of,  404. 

ANnEBSON,  Colonel  J.  Patton,  his  adven^ 
ture  while  talcing  the  census,  3S5;  his 

■  chase  after  a  butter-duck,  367;   speech 
'  In  Congress,  389,  891 ;  his  account  of 

,  the  Falls  of  the  Snoqualmie,  395 ;  his 
account  of  Patlcanira  and  Colonel  Sim 
mons,  396 ;  the  flrst  United  States  Mar- 
shal of  the  Territory,  401 ;  second  dele 
gate  to  Congress,  402 ;  letter  of  advice 
to  emigrants,  408. 

Animals,  description  of,  28. 

Antiquities  of  America,  207. 

Anwillik,  an  Indian  girl,  199 ;  her  skill  in 
making  dresses,  '.00. 

Armstrong's  Point  at  Gray's  Harbor,  252 

Arrival  from  Kodiak,  205. 

Ashley's,  General  William  H.,  expedition 
across  the  Kocky  Mountains,  288. 

Assumption  Inlet,  126. 

Astor,  John  Jacob,  223. 

Astoria,  description  of,  228 ;  when  named, 
225;  sold  to  the  Northwest  Company, 
228 ;  restored  to  the  Americans,  282 ;  its 

<  present  appearance,  288 ;  military  road, 
229. 

Awilkatumar,  the  blo<4y  ground,  on  the 
Palux  River,  Shoal-vater  Bay,  151. 

Aztec  language,  318. 

Baker,  captain  of  brig  Jeiny,  of  Bristol, 
129. 

Baker,  Captain  Eben  P.,  masur  of  schoon- 
er Maryland,  is  drowned,  36C 

Baker's  Ciy,  description  of,  10t>;  named 
after  the  captain  of  brig  Jenn> ,  129. 

Baking  bread,  method  adopted,  166. 


Baldt,  William,  our  visit  to  the  Columbia, 
97 ;  our  examination  of  Chcnook,  109 ; 
our  adventures  on  the  Portage,  114;  we 
make  a  bonfire  on  Pine  Island,  133 ;  our 
jury  duty,  292;  interview  with  Captain 
JoliUBon,  296 ;  canoe  adventure,  303. 

Barnes,  Miss  Jane,  the  first  white  woman 
who  arrived  at  the  Columbia,  230. 

Barrows,  J.  F.,  a  settler  at  Shoal-water 
Bay,  '284 ;  receives  me  hospitably,  828 ; 
get  in  a  ditch  while  endeavoring  to  find 
his  house,  354. 

Bartlett,  George  G.,  one  of  the  first  set- 
tlers at  Shoal-water  Buy,  26 ;  he  is  call- 
ed Tom  by  the  settlers,  69;  his  bear> 
fight  on  Stony  Point,  70 ;  gives  me  some 
iron  to  repair  my  chimney,  142. 

Battle  Rock  at  Port  Orford,  219. 

Bear  River,  Shoal-water  Bay,  20. 

Bear-fight,  69. 

Bear-shooting,  2C0. 

Bear-skin,  273. 

Beauties  of  Washington  Territory,  67. 

Beaver,  description  of,  98. 

Beaver,  ship,  224. 

Beeswax  found  at  Clatsop,  206. 

Berrias,  88. 

Bird  feast,  268. 

Birds,  description  of,  29. 

Blark,  captain  of  sloop  of  war  Raccoon, 
229. 

Blodget,  Lorin,  quotation  from,  respecting 
climate,  45. 

Blossom,  H.  B.  M.  frigate,  232. 

Blubber  feast,  360. 

Bolin,  hotel-keeper  at  Astoria,  238. 

Bolon,  Indian  agent,  387. 

Bonfires,  54. 

Bonneville,  captain  of  an  expedition  in 
1832,  234. 

Bowman,  trial  of,  279. 

Brandywine,  or  M'Carty,  103. 

Bread,  method  of  making,  164, 

Brown,  Joel  L.,  64. 

Brown's  Point,  Gray's  Harbor,  268. 

Bruce  Company,  63 ;  their  great  hospital- 
ity, 283. 

Bruceville  or  Bruceport,  319. 

Bryonia  Alba,  178. 

Bullard,  Joel  and  Mark,  earlr  opttlers,  64. 

Burial,  form  of,  185. 

Bush-tall  rat,  28. 

Cabbage,  method  of  preserving  from  In- 
dians, 149. 

Cain's,  Captain,  report  on  Indian  tronhles, 
887. 


432 


INDEX. 


;  .■«■ 


;  * 

■  I 

i  i  '  .1 
I 

I 


«  1 
I 


CalUcuin,  an  Indian,  218;  bis  ciinolbal- 

iHm,  807. 
Camp  at  Gray's  Harbor,  264;  at  Copalla, 

25B;  ut  the  treaty-ground  on  the  Che- 

halis  River,  8B7. 
Cannibala,  Mearea'a  account  of,  218. 
Cuiioo  Itiver,  one  of  the  head-waters  of  thu 

Columbia,  121. 
Canoea,  description  of,  80;  method  of  trav- 

eilng  in,  248. 
Carcnwan,  chief  of  the  Chehalis  Indians, 

251 ;  his  son,  829 ;  bis  tallc  about  the 

treaties,  S63. 
Carcumcnm,  a  siHter  of  Comcomly,  66 ; 

she  tells  uliout  the  tiri<t  rum  ever  brought 

into  the  Columbia,  166. 
Cartumhays    or    Tomhays,   visit   to   bis 

house,  86 ;  a  euro  for  the  small-pox,  57 ; 

his  goose  trade,  819. 
Caslah'lian,  a  Chehalis  Indian,  262 ;  takes 

me     -<d  a  party  to  the  treaty-ground, 

883 ;  an  adventure  with  him,  804. 
Caswell,  second  mate  with  Captain  Gray, 

murdered  at  Massacre  Cove,  182. 
Catlin  Sctb,  401. 
Cedar  of  Port  Orford,  219. 
Celebi-ation  of  4th  of  July,  183. 
Champ,  John  W.,  one  of  the  first  settlers, 

25;  visit  to  the  Columbia,  97;  his  troub 

les  on  the  I^ortage,  115;  his  election  bh 

iustice  of  the  peace,  278 ;  the  first  trial 
lefore  his  court,  270 ;  counsel  befort'  the 
squire's  court,  320;  bis  decision  in  Wat- 
kins's  case,  865. 

Charley,  Big,  the  constable,  278. 

Chatham,  brig.  Lieutenant  Broughton,  en- 
ters the  Columbia,  129. 

Chehalis — visit  to  Gray's  Harbor  among 
the  Chehalis  Indians,  264;  visit  to  the 
treaty-grotmd  on  the  Chehalis  River, 
830;  description  of  Chehalis  River,  883. 

Chcnook  Indians,  description  of  their  vil- 
lage, 110. 

Chcnowith,  Honorable  F.  A.,  402. 

Cherquel  Sha,  an  Indian,  49. 

Chetzamokha,  chief  of  the  Clalams,  17. 

Children's  games,  197 ;  songs,  199. 

Chinese  among  the  Indians,  163. 

Christianity  as  applied  to  Indians,  193. 

Christmas  dinner  on  crow,  826 ;  on  skunk, 
826. 

Chutes  of  the  Columbia,  128. 

Clark  River,  121. 

Clearing  land,  60. 

Cletheas,  an  Indian,  251 ;  relates  about  the 
Klickatats,  824 

Climate,  Ross  Cox's  and  Vancouver's  re- 
marks respecting,  44;  Greenhow's  and 
Blodget's  remarks,  45 ;  further  remarks, 
395. 

Clyoquot  Bay,  226. 

Cocke,  Colonel  H.  D,,  827;  at  the  camp, 
330. 

Colote,  an  Indian,  322. 

Columbia  River,  18;  visit  to,  97;  history 
and  description  of,  117,  124;  crosH  the 
bar,  220 ;  current  of,  269. 

Columbia,  flbip,  20 ;  outfit  and  owners' 
names,  130. 


Colvillo,  Fort,  dlMoyery  of  gold  at,  836. 

Comcomly,  280. 

Coon  and  Woodward,  819. 

Cooper,  Dr.,  214,  827. 

Copalls,  camp  at,  256;  description  of  riy< 

er,  268. 
>Juunsel,  argument  of,  at  Chenook,  800. 
Cox,  Ross,  extracts  from  his  writings,  44, 

68,  225. 
Cradle,  description  of,  168. 
Crocker,  Captain,  859. 
Crows,   great  flocks  of,  149;   dinner  on 

crow,  826. 
Cure  for  inflamed  eyes,  179, 
Curry  stews,  44. 
Cushman,  Commissary,  840;  hla  fkmoui 

stories,  842. 

Dasdalus,  ship,  one  of  Vancouver's,  129, 

Dalies  of  the  Columbia,  128. 

Dart,  Dr.,  his  treaties  with  the  Columbi* 

River  Indians,  849. 
Davis,  Captain  George,  866. 
Dawson,  George,  243,  297. 
Debatable  Ground,  292. 
Denter,  Charles  W.,  or  Big  Charley,  SB; 

elected  constable,  278  ;  takes  Colonel 

Anderson  to  the  Portage,  869. 
Derby,  Lieutenant,  alitu  Phoenix,  Squl- 

bob,  aiid  Butterfleld,  288. 
Deserted  villages,  212. 
De  Smet's  letters,  236. 
Destruction  Island,  126. 
Devil's  Walking-stick,  41. 
Digger  Indians  bum  their  dead,  163. 
Dikentra   Formosa,   an  early  flowering 

plant,  48. 
Disappointment,  Cape,   first   named   by 

Meares,  23;  Vancouver's  remarks  upon, 

127. 
Discovery,  Vancouver's  flag-ship,  12i). 
Doctors,  Indian,  176. 
Domestic  utensils,  163. 
DouglaF,  Dr.,  extracts  from  history  of, 

191, 198. 
Dowler,  Dr.,  of  New  Orleans,  remarks  on 

antiquities,  207. 
Duchency,  Roc,  Hudson  Bay  Company's 

agent  at  Chenook,  109,  318. 
Dunn,  John,  877. 
Duponceau's,  M.,  remarks  on  language  of 

American  Indians,  311.         , 

Ebbetts,  captain  of  ship  Enterprise,  234 

Edinburg  Rieview's  remarks  respecting  em- 
igrants to  Oregon,  287. 

Edmands,  John,  a  settler  on  the  Wallacut 
River,  240. 

Election,  first,  at  the  Bay,  277. 

Ellewa,  a  Chenook  chief,  and  his  wife,  66. 

Elflio,  schooner,  the  lirst  vessel  built  in 
the  Bay,  282. 

Emigrants,  remarks  and  advice  to,  877, 
402,  407. 

Empire,  schooner,  wreck  of,  866.        , 

Enterprise,  ship,  i224 

Evans,  Dr.,  state  geologist,  898. 

Eyes,  cure  for  inflammation  of,  179.  .  4, 


INDEX. 


433 


iriptlon  of  liv. 


1 1   dinner  on 


M);  his  fkmoui 


Dn  language  of 


n  the  Wallacut 


Falls  ofthePalur,  43. 

Fall*  of  tlie  Snoqualniie,  89fi. 

Feast  at  Point  GronviUe,  268. 

FeiHter'a  Portage,  240. 

Felice,  ship,  20. 

Figltt  on  the  Palux  Rtvor,  161. 

Fire,  method  of  procuring,  248. 

Fint  emigrants  to  the  Columbia,  28K. 

Fisliernian'B  pudding,  3-.'0. 

Fishing — on  the  Columbia,  108 ;  on  the  Na- 
sal, 185;  on  the  Palux,  80;  for  sturgeon, 
245. 

Fitting  out  ship  Columbia,  180. 

Flattening  heads,  method  of,  167. 

Flowers,  48. 

Ford,  Judge  Sidney,  830,  842,  886. 

Fort  George  first  named,  229. 

Fort  Hall,  on  the  Snake  Kiver,  284. 

Foster,  Thomas  J.,  26. 

Fremont,  818. 

Frondorio,  Cape,  126. 

Furs,  96,  426. 

Qales,  description  of  one  which  caused 
,    great  damage,  148. 
Gambling,  description  of,  167. 
Gardiner,  Captain,  !i69. 
Gaultherla  Shallon,  or  Sallal,  48. 
General  Warren,  steamer,  269. 
George,  an  Indian,  49,  821. 
Gibbs,  General  George,  206,  210,  808,  890, 

426. 
Gliddon  on  languages,  312. 
Goose  Point,  27. 
Grand  Jury  at  Chenook,  298. 
Gray,  Captain  Kol)ert,  20,  124,  127,  138. 
Gray's  Harbor,  128 ;  visit  to,  265 ;  feast  at, 

276;  a  rough  place,  380 ;  dejcription  of, 

894. 
Green,  John,  864. 
Oreenhow,  quotations  from  his  work  on 

California  and  Oregon,  44,  130. 
Grenvlile,  Point,  125,  200. 
Grindstone,  great  quantities  of,  269. 

Hahness,  the  thunder  bird,  208. 

Haitllltli,  an  Indian,  79,  26S. 

Hancock,  Cape,  129. 

Hanson,  Captain  Alexander,  26,  283. 

Hayemar,  an  Indian,  284. 

Heoeta,  the  Spanish  navigator,  20. 

Herkolsk,  a  Copalls  chief,  259. 

Heyalma,  an  Indian,  54. 

Hiawatha,  206. 

Hickey,  captain  of  H.  B.  M.  ship  Blogsom, 

282. 
Hill,  captain  of  brig  Oriental,  17. 
Hlllyer,  Captain  Kichard,  26,  282. 
Hinkley,  186. 

History  of  the  Chenooks,  202. 
Holman,  J.  D.,  242,  801. 
Hudson  Bay  Company,  282,  849,  869,  872. 

Imperial  Eagle,  ship,  of  Ostend,  126. 

Indians — superstitions  of,  42;  arrival  of 
Northern  tribes  of,  69 ;  tradition  of  the 
doctor  respecting,  68 ;  food  of,  86;  recep- 
tion of  friends  by,  169;  marriage  ceremo- 
nies of,  170 ;  fasts  of,  171 ;  unbelief  in 


Christianity  of,  174,  198,  196;  School- 
craft's remarks  on,  162;  manners  and 
customs  of,  154 ;  gambling  of,  157 ;  med- 
icines of,  177,  180,  181 ;  games  of  chil- 
dren of,  107 ;  HongH  of,  200 ;  early  history 
of,  202;  General  UibbH'B  theory  of,  206; 
other  theories  of,  200-210;  deseited  vll- 
lages  of,  212;  treaties  of,  327,  846. 

Indian  War,  flrtit  blood  shed,  886. 

Ingraham,  Joseph,  130. 

Irish  words,  810;  anecdote  of,  811. 

Isaac  Todd,  ship,  228. 

Isla  de  Dolores,  126. 

Islands— Pine,  27 ;  Long,  27 ;  Round,  28 ; 
Destruction,  125;  other  islands,  894. 

Jackson,  Captain,  64. 

Jargon,  310. 

Jenny,  brig,  of  Bristol,  129. 

Jesuits,  230. 

Jewett's,  John  R.,  narrative,  807. 

Joe,  the  steward,  48 ;  runs  away  flrom  tha 

small-pox,  56. 
John,  an  Indian  doctor,  1S3. 
John  Adams,  sloop  of  war,  228. 
Johnson,  Captain  Jame«,  239,  296. 
Johnson,  Dr.  J.  R.,  319,  864 
Johnson's  Lake,  24(1. 
Judges  of  the  U.  S.  District  Court,  401. 
Junk,  Chinese,  at  Clatsop,  206. 
Jury  duty  at  Chenook,  298. 

Kalthlawtlnu,  an  Indian,  161. 

Kape,  a  Quenirdt  chief,  78;  visit  his  lodge, 

264. 
Keith,  superintendent  of  the  Northwest 

Company,  232.  ^ 

Kellar,  Captain  J.  P.,  899. 
Kellogg,  Dr.,  of  San  Francisco,  1T8. 
Kendrlck,  Captain  John,  180. 
Kllckatat  Indians,  323. 
Kohpoh,  on  Indian,  320,  822. 

Lake,  Captain  William,  242. 
Lamley's,  Job,  trial  at  Chenook,  294. 
Lancaster,  Honorable  Columbia,  400. 
Lane,  (General  Joseph,  390. 
Language  of  Indians,  306,  816 ;  other  lan- 
guages, 312. 
Lark,  ship,  227. 
Laroque,  M.,  227. 
Leadbetter  Point,  21. 
Leonard  and  Green,  238. 
Lewis  and  Clarke,  160,  160,  210,  406. 
Lime-kiln,  291. 
Long  Island,  27,  248. 

Louisiana,  great  age  of  antiquities  of,80T. 
Lyell,  Sir  Charies,  20T. 
Lynde,  Walter,  26,  68. 

Mahar,  an  Indian  doctor,  185. 
Maquilla,  an  Indian  chief,  218. 
Marhoo  Kiver,  26. 
Marshall,  Stephen,  25,  86S. 
Martlndill,  William,  298. 
Martyr's  Point,  126. 
Mary  Taylor,  schooner,  288. 
Mason,  Charles  H.,  Secretary  of  tha  Ter- 
ritory, 889. 


(^ 


434 


INDEX. 


M  kt  maanfkotare,  181. 

Maury,  Lieutenant,  408. 

M'Ckrty,  William,  Wi,  898,  808. 

H'Clellan,  Captain  Ueorgo  D.,  890. 

MTavUh.  880. 

Mearei,  Lieutenant  John,  80, 186,  807. 

Medicine  and  mediolue-men,  84,  170, 17T, 

179. 
MruicIom  Tilllcumi,  or  dead  poople,  147. 
M'lulull,  Lluubonuut,  888. 
M«'  tliod  of  coloring  roots  and  graM,  184. 
Military   road  from   Astoria,  888 1   from 

Walla  Witlla,  899. 
Mllward,  Itlchard  J.,  90. 
Mlachln  or  Louse  Kocka,  17B. 
MlMlonariop,  11)4. 
Mississippi  Ulver,  great  age  of  antiquitlea 

o<;  807. 
Monroe,  James,  Secretary  of  State,  881. 
Morgan,  /ohn,  85. 

Morton's,  Dr.,  viewi  of  aborigine*,  909. 
MounUlns,  898,  390. 
Mount  St.  lliilen's,  108. 
Mummy  of  an  ludiao,  78. 
Munchausen  tales  of  old  sailors,  980. 

NamoR,  meaning  of,  189;  of  tribes,  910. 

Markarty,  a  iMiunook  chief,  his  speech  to 
the  governor,  84& 

Nasal  Klver,  86. 

Necomanchce  or  Nlckomtn  River,  26L 

Needles  for  making  mats,  108, 

Neefui  and  Tlcheuor,  919. 

Nemar  RlTer,  86. 

Nertchlnsk,  a  Russian  city,  404. 

Nets,  description  of,  101. 

Nez  Pcrcu  Indians,  380. 

Nichols,  (^'aptain,  84L 

Niebuhr,  B.  L,,  vlewa  ef  origin  of  man 
kind,  809. 

Nootka  language  oompored  with  the  Che- 
nook,  807. 

Northwest  Company,  888. 

Nott  and  OUddon'B  Types  of  Mankind,  907, 
811. 

Ontario,  iloop  of  iraf,  981. 

Oregon  winters,  00,  67. 

Orford,  Port,  819. 

Oriental,  brig,  17. 

Origin  of  Indian  tribeeit  968,  907;  of  man 

kind,  304. 
Omamenta,  108. 
OsslBobia,  882. 
Otter,  Sea,  description  of,  01. 
Owners  of  ship  Columbia,  180. 
Oyster  fishery,IS0:  statlatieaofoyatertede, 

88;  noble  condual  of  ojratenun,  8& 
OysterviUe,  941. 

Pacific  Fur  Company,  9981 

Palmer,  General,  887. 

Palos,  brig,  wreck  of,  141. 

Palux  or  Copalux  Klrer,  98;  acane  on,  86; 

falb  of,  48. 
Patkanim,  an  Indian,  088. 
Paulding,  Mra,  841. 
Peddler,  brig,  888, 
Peniasola,  tdp  acnoaa,  847. 


Pepper  coffee,  148. 

PcU'r,  or  (Jlaolals,  an  Indian,  187, 149, 107, 

VOI,  U18,  38a 
Peytuna,  Htuumur,  819. 
Pilcher,  Journey  from  Council  Bluflb  la 

1S27,  2!18. 
Pino  Ulund,  87. 

I'ohks,  an  Indian  fool,  80&  '  '"'■*{ 

Point  George,  825.  '■'  "*" 

Point  Orcnvllle,  120,  860. 
Polypodtum  Falcatum,  ITS. 
Pope,  Tulbot  and  Co.,  saw-milla,  899. 
Port  Orford,  819. 
Potato  poultice,  170. 
Prescott,  note,  814. 
Preservation  of  bodies,  78. 
I'rlntlng-press,  first  established  at  WalU 

Walla,  880. 
Provost,  J.  H.,  U.  0.  Commlsaloner,  981. 
Pumpkin  lantern,  140. 
Puntu  do  Martlres,  120. 
Purrlngton,  Captain  James  8.,  48, 141, 899, 

880,826. 

Quadra,  Lieutenant  Jnan  Franolaeo  de  la 

Bodega  y,  184,  189. 
Queaqulm,  an   Indian  lad,  04;    diai  of 

small-roz,  07. 
Quenalnar,  or  Htrong  men,  151. 
Queniult  Indians,  811 ;  visit  to  QuenlOlt, 

801. 
Querquelln  or  Mouse  River,  74,  949. 
Quootshool,  an  ogress,  908. 

Raccoon,  sloop  of  war,  899  -' 

Knln,  00.  ■» 

Red  River,  989. 

Religion,  198. 

Return  from  Chenook,  114. 

Rivers  tributary  to  the  Columbia,  191, 894. 

Roberts,  Robert,  goes  with  me  to  QuenlOlt, 

801. 
Roots  eaten  by  Indiana,  00.       • 
Rotan,  F.,  07. 
Round  Island,  2a 
Roundtree,  Dr.,  803. 
RubuR  spectablis,  47. 
Russell,  Charies  J.  W.,  17, 80,  8S,  144,  884. 
Russia,  trade  wlth<Chlna,  408, 

:  »'■  ■  ■.' 

Sacodlye,  an  Indian  doctor,  181. 
Sallal,  or  Oaultheria  8hallon,  47,  87. 
Salmon-berry,  Rubus  spectablis,  47,  ST. 
Salmon  fishing,  80,  lOS,  ISO. 
Salmon  hook,  description  of,  864 
Salve,  Indian  method  of  making,  130. 
San  Francisco,  910. 
San  Roque  River,  80i. 
Scarborough,  Captain  James,  101, 208,888. 
Schoolcraft,  H.  R.,  158, 171. 
Schools  at  Walla  WaUa,  938. 
Schooner  Rlsie,  888. 
Schooner  Northwest  America,  188. 
Sea-gull,  steamer,  819. 
Seal-fishery,  88. 
Sea-otter,  description  of.  91, 
Semple,  Governor,  of  Owrinobla,  989. 
Settlers  in  Shoal -water  Bay,  8S4  first  on 
tb0  Columbia,  880. 


■t   I   ; 


INDEX. 


435 


Ian,  m,  149.187. 
loiinoll  Bluffi  in 


18. 
ir-millt,  199. 


I. 

iliihed  at  Walk 

imlMloner,  281. 

ei  8.,  40, 141, 831, 

I  FranoiMo  da  U 

\A,  M;    diaa  of 

1, 161. 

isit  to  QuenlOlt, 

■r,  74,  242. 
8. 


lumbia,191,894. 
1  ma  to  QueoiOlt, 


,20,83,144,284 

4ua. 

>r,  181. 
Ion,  47,  87. 
tablia,  47,  87. 
J6. 

of,  264 
iRklng,  130. 


les,  161,208,888. 

1. 

I3«. 

ka,  188. 


It 

doMa.  982. 

lay,  20^  firat  on 


Shaw,  Colonel  B.  F.,  809. 

BLartff,  Coiiiniodoru,  282, 

Bboal-water  Hay,  20,  V6,  30,  211,  260 

Shoal-watur,  Cupo,  2U. 

Hlcknusi  of  author  at  Quentait,  206. 

glmmoni,  Colonel  Mike,  Indian  agent,  260, 

890. 
Bkulli,  iuperatition  about,  214. 
Slavery  among  IndlanH,  106,  844. 
8niall-|)ox,  r>6. 

Bnilth,  cnptatn  of  Rchoonor  Maryland,  216. 
Smith,  captain  of  Hhlp  Albatromi,  228. 
Smith,  Fiddler,  290,  864. 
SnohomUh  Klvor,  308. 
Snoqualnilo  FalU,  89& 
Songs,  201. 

Sonora,  schooner,  attack  of,  126. 
Sowlea,  captain  of  ship  Beaver,  224. 
Squler,  remarks  on  language,  810. 
Squlntoo,  260. 

Squlntum,  or  old  George,  an  Indian,  820. 
Stevens,  (Jolunol  Henry  K.,  186,  242,  869. 
Stevens,  (iovernor,  8u0,  867,  888,  898. 
Stewart,  Charles,  04. 
St.  John,  Augustus  £.,  25. 
Stony  Point,  08. 
Storm,  143. 

Strawberry  frolic,  240. 
Strong,  Judge,  390. 
Sturgeon  flsliing,  '246. 
SturgU,  Captiiiii  William,  Hit  of  Fur-trad' 

em  on  the  Northwest  Coast,  423. 
Sols,  an  Indian  squaw,  83, 146,  161,  181. 
Superatltion,  42,  212,  214. 
Swan,  Doctor,  230. 
Swing,  Indian  children's,  198. 

Tappan,  William  B.,  Indian  agent,  827. 

Tarlllt  River,  26. 

Thornc,  captain  of  ship  Tonquin,  228. 

Tlchenor,  Captain,  210. 

Tide — high  tide  and  great  storm,  142. 

Timber  growth  in  Washington  Territory, 

898. 
Tleyuk,  a  Chehalis  chief,  261,  C47,  363. 
Toke,  a  Shoul-water  Bay  Indian,  88,  74, 

247,  328,  360. 
Tomanuwos,  146, 178,  176, 246. 
Tomhays  or  Cartumbays,  86,  67,  819. 
Tongue  Point,  21.'5. 
Tonquin,  ship,  224 ;  maaaacre  of  her  crew, 

226. 
Tower  of  Babel,  812. 


Tradition  a,  68. 

Treaties— with  England,  231 ;  of  Ghent, 

280;  with  Indians,  32T,  U4!U860. 
Trees,  ininiunse  gn)wth  of,  63. 
Trial  of  liuwnian,  'iHO;  of  Joe,  281. 
TrilMjM,  nanioi  of,   21U, 
Trout-fliihlng,  189. 
TuftH,  William,  Esq.,  remarks  on  climate, 

400;  list  of  vea«els,  Appendix. 

Uncle  Ned,  one  of  the  Bruce  Company  of 

Shoal-wator  Bay,  283. 
United  States  District  Court  at  Cbenook, 


Vail,  Captain  John,  48,  244. 

Vanoleave,  130. 

Vancouver,  Captain  George,  28  127, 129, 

218. 
Venison  pie,  aversion  of  Indians  to,  218. 
View  from  the  ocean,  270. 
Villages,  deserted,  212. 
Virgin  Mary  seeu  by  an  Indian  la>T  28& 

Wagon  road  ttom  Fort  Koamey,  408. 

Walla  Walla  settlement,  286. 

Wanialsh,  a  Quonlult  Indian,  70,  266. 

Wappalooche  or  Chcnook  Klver,  248. 

Wappatoo  iHland,  124,  234. 

Washington,  sloop,  131. 

Washington  Teriltory,  382,  802. 

Weeks,  Cale,  of  Astoria,  106. 

Weldon,  CauUIn  David  K.,  64,  364. 

Weston,  Judge,  of  Chenook,  366. 

Whil-a-pah  Ulver,  26. 

Whitcomb,  Henry,  64. 

Wild-fowl,  148. 

Wilkes,  2()6. 

Willamet  Vallev,  287. 

Wiliomantlc,  schooner,  wreck  of,  48, 276. 

Wilson,  James,  64. 

Winant,  Mark,  26,  288. 

Winant,  Samuel,  261,  288. 

Woodward,  Samuel,  64. 

Woodward,  Samuel,  senior,  113. 

Wool,  Uenei-al,  388. 

Wreck — nearly  wrecked,  216. 

Wreck  of  steamer  General  Warren,  269. 

Wyeth,  Captain  Natlianiij    '.'"^. 


Wy  Yellock,  a  Queniult 


,79. 


Yaneumuz,  a  Chenook  Indian,  113; 
disbelief  in  God,  296. 


kia 


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Franklin  Sg^uare,  New  York. 


■>i;4 


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